30 min Time Trial

A little bit of celebrating last night as my parents are in town for the week but I still managed to rise at 6am and get my run in.


warmup
mobility drills
running specific drills

30 min Time Trial
= 6.7km / 4.16 mi

My goal this morning was just to run for 15 mins and then back. I ended up finishing on 30:31 but all good.
I ran in the vibrams today which is the first time in ages as I have almost been afraid of the DOMS I get after wards. My calves were def getting a little tight towards the end and they feel ok but we'll see how they are later.
My pace felt pretty sucky but if I was able to maintain it it would bring me in to finish the half at 1:38 and the goal is sub 1:45 at the moment so I'm on track with about 7 weeks training to go.

REST DAY

Seeing as the last few workouts have been pretty shitty I figured I needed a rest day.
I played around with butterfly pullups for maybe 5 mins and managed to get 10 in a row. They are definitely a lot faster than kipping pullups and a lot less tiring. The technique is much harder to keep a flow going but not as taxing.
I'm looking forward to doing a WOD with them soon to really see what a difference it makes.

Friday

Pretty average one again today, probably should have rested but didn't.

warmup

mobility drills 

10 pullups 

20 push ups 

30 squats 

shoulder mobility 

shoulder press - 10 with bar, 10 @ 65, 5 @ 95 

5 @ 105 , 115 , 120 , 130 , 

4 @ 140 then 3 x 5 push press @ 135 

20 muscle ups in sets of 2  - full turnout at the bottom + full extension. 

I took about a minute rest between each set. By keeping the reps low and resting to almost full recovery I was able to keep the quality of movement which is extremely important. 

I'm going to write an article within the next few days detailing the advantages to this type of training. 

light stretch to cool down. 

I did about 24kms on my bike today also just moving around from different places. 

Sprints

Another new month of pain to come!

I'd love to say I started off with a bang but I had a really average session today. You gota take the good with the bad though right? 

I wasn't really sore after yesterday but my body just felt weak. I took a week off from running though so I need to get the work in. 

I keep getting deviated on my thoughts towards lifting heavier and getting stronger as opposed to focusing on my 1/2 marathon training which is my immediate goal but anyways ....

warm up

4 mile bike ride

mobility drills 

3 rounds of 5 pullups 10 push ups 

couple of muscle ups - working on turnout at the bottom and full extension. 

9 rounds 1 min on 1 min off 

3 @ 9 mph , 2 @ 9.5 moh , 2 @ 10 mph , 2 @ 10.5 mph - The last time I did this one I did it outside and it was brutal. I liked doing it on the treadmill as I could keep the speed constant as outside its hard to gauge but I def should have gone out. 

rest 2 mins 

4 sets of 12 sec on 10 sec off

I set the tread to 12 mph which is the max it goes up to. It was pretty tough after the previous sprints but managed to maintain it. 

rest 5 mins 

3 rounds 

10 toe to bar 

10 back extensions

I've been reading a lot of Louie Simmons stuff recently and decided to do a little lowerback/ab work at the end - first time I have ener done this !!!

khalipa challenge 10

(6th out of 13)
warm up
mobility drills

few sets of front squats, deadlifts, push jerks and power cleans to warm up

WOD
3 rounds
10 Deadlift @ 225lbs
10 Hang Power Cleans @ 135lbs
10 Front Squats @ 185lbs
10 Shoulder to overhead @ 135

Time = 17:38

This was brutal. They seem to be getting harder and harder! When I first looked at the WOD I thought between 15 and 20min but in the description Jason said that this was doable in sub 10 !!!!
If someone manages to do this workout sub 10 then I def wanna see it.
Front squats were def the hardest. 185 is 70% of my current max so in theory I should be able to complete 11 reps with with the weight but add a jacked heart rate and a set of deadlifts and power cleans to the equation and it goes out the window I guess!

Heavy met-cons seem to be my nemesis at the moment so I need to get stronger. Looking back over the past few weeks I've def favored more body weight type stuff so I'll be adding one of these style workouts every week from now on.

Active Rest Day

no workout today just a little 3 rounder to keep the blood flowing.

went through warmup and mobility drills as normal with little bit of foam rolling

10 squats
10 pullups
10 push ups

10 pistols - each leg
10 chins
10 depth push ups

10 lunges - each leg
10 neutral pull ups
10 diamond push ups

light stretch.

Ghetto Benchin

warmup
mobility drills

3 rounds
2 HSPU
5 butterfly pullups - getting better but my hands were too sore to do too many today

little bit of kettlebell juggling - I'm starting to get pretty good with this now.

Strength
Floor press
10 @ 45
5 @ 55, 65,70
After doing these sets I decided to make a bench as I felt like i wasn't getting enough range so I set up this bad boy

It looks a little dodgy but it did the job fine. 

5 @ 95 , 115 , 135 , 145 , 155

155 was a pretty good weight. I'll have to be careful using this so I don't fail as it could be nasty if I'm alone. 

Seeing as presses are my biggest weakness I'm going to be doing alot of them in my programming from now on. 

rest 5 mins 

WOD

5 rounds 

40 double unders 

30 box jumps @ 24" 

20 KB swings @ 55lbs 

Time = 18:11

This was brutal. I don't know if it was just fatigue in my legs after the last few days or what but this was really tough. Box jumps were def the worst. 

This was one of those workouts that I completely underestimated. I looked at it initially and thought 'this will be a nice little conditioning at the end of the workout' ..... nope. 

Sunday Snatch

warm up
4 mile bike ride
mobility drills
little juggling with a light KB

Snatch practice with PVC + empty bar

5 @ 65
3 @ 95
2 @ 115

Snatch 5 x 1
135 , 155 , 165 , 175 , 175 , 180 , 180 - New PR

Usually if I miss lift I call it a day, especially if I'm going for a new PR but I knew I could make the weights today by how the initial pulls were.

Really happy with this. Video is below




5 min rest

WOD
for time
row 1000m
50 DB snatch @ 40lbs
row 750m
35 DB snatch @ 40lbs

row 500m 

20 DB snatch @ 40lbs

snatches are alternating hands

Time = 14:12 

This was a good finisher to the workout. This WOD was on the mainsite a few days ago and I initially thought that 40lbs would have been too light but after all the snatches before hand it was perfect. I managed to get through the whole thing without stopping so it was a good little burnout for the end. 

Good session !

Strength

My head was still a little fuzzy today so I just did a bit of strength work.

warm up
mobility + a little butterfly practice

BW squats

front squats with the bar - 10
10 @ 95

Strength
Front Squat 5 x 5
135 , 155 , 185 , 205 , 215

weight was pretty good. I'm looking forward to getting back into squats for a bit

weighted dips
5 x 5 with 10lb vest - I'm very weak at these at the moment.
weighted pullups
5 x 5 with 10lb vest - pretty shocking as well

3 turkish get ups with 44lbs in each hand
3 with 35lbs in each hand

These were pretty tough. You have to use a lot of momentum to get up + is very challenging.

REST DAY

I had a forced day off today. I went out to the gym and was going through my warmup as normal and got a migraine half way through and had to axe it.
I was planning on doing the New England sectional workout tomorrow but my hand is still pretty messed up so I'm going to just let it heal a little longer.
Hopefully I'll be able to have to even train tomorrow.

REST DAY

Still extremely sore today. My abs are killing me from Tuesday! I'm actually having trouble getting out of chairs! hahaha. It felt good to relax most of the day. I still biked about 10 miles doing things here and there but no workout.

Crossfit Santa Clara weekly challenge 9

(2nd out of 4)
This is my fourth week doing this challenge and I'd say that this one was the hardest so far.

warmup
played around with PVC for ages just drilling the movements of the workout and doing basic mobility stuff.

WOD
The Taz Venter Special
3 rounds for time
5 snatch balance @ 135lbs
5 overhead squats @ 135lbs
5 squat snatches @ 135lbs
run 200m

Time = 11:27

This was killer. I tried to get through the sets unbroken but it was impossible after the first round. I mis lifted a few of the snatches and dropped the bar a couple of times but managed to slug it out.
I did the running on the treadmill and just had it going continuously. I set it to 9 for the first round but had to drop it to 8 for the 2nd n 3rd rounds.

Awesome workout but tough as hell!

mainsite triplet

warmup
5 mins jump rope  mixing in double unders, crossovers, one foot etc.

mobility drills

WOD
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
chest to bar pullups
30" box jumps
GHD sit ups
+10lb weightled vest

Time = 10:49

I was shooting for sub 10 mins initially on this wod but I decided to add the vest at the last minute so that def slowed me down a bit. My work out put was pretty good the whole way through. I didn't take any rests except for when I fell off the bar a couple of times.
Pullups were def the hardest. Getting up that high was a bit of a challenge but I made sure my chest made contact with the bar every rep.
It was a good warmup for the N.E. sectional wod I plan on doing on Saturday.

Strength

This morning I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Denis Reno - president of the New England Weightlifting Assoc.
He was able to give me some valuable insights on technique and how to correct certain faults within peoples movement on the lifts.
I'm going to spend a bit more time with him in the future and hopefully with his expertise will translate into my own training as well as the people I coach.

I took about an hour break after this session. I didn't do an actual workout while he was here, just did a few lifts and tried to correct technique as best I could.


warm up 
I played around with butterflies for quite a while. I can do sets of about 5 now before I loose the motion. I must have done at least 6 or 7 sets.

shoulder mobility
SP - 10 with bar + 10 with 65lbs
5 @ 95

Strength - Shoulder Press 5 x 5
105 , 115 , 125 , 135 , 140


These weights were the same as what I did on feb 23rd so no change. I didn't try to go any heavier but the last set def was pushing it. I'm going to be working in heavy shoulder presses at least once a week for the next few weeks until I get my press to something I'm happy with.

I'm going to chill for a few hours then hit a metcon WOD.

REST DAY

I donated blood this morning so no training. I got a big week planned starting tomorrow though !!!

5 km Time Trial

This evening I really didn't want to go out and do this run and I had a list of excuses as long as my arm why I 'didn't need to' or how I had 'already done a lot this week'. When I identified these as exactly what they were - excuses, I decided to practice what I preach and Just show up. 
I knew I would feel 100% better afterwards and I do!


warmup
mobility + running drills.


5km Time Trial
Time = 20:54
previous time = 25:30 (Jan 19th 2010)
I'm really happy with this. The route I ran previously was different but a 5 min difference in a couple of months seems like good progress to me. I guess I must be doing something right.
The route itself had 2 average-ish hills but equally had down hill parts so they canceled each other out I guess.

10 min stretch after for cool down


Now I can relax guilt free

Olympic lifting

I went in for an early session with Matt today to practice some clean + jerks.

warmup
4 mile bike ride
usual mobility drills + some kips and a few muscle ups - working on full extension + turnout at the bottom of every rep.

burgener warm up with PVC + twice with 45lb bar

10 squat cleans with the bar
5 squat cleans @ 95lbs

Clean + Jerk 
3 @ 135
2 @ 155
1 @ 185
1 @ 205
1 @ 215
1 @ 225
  235
1 @ 235
2 @ 240


New PR @ 235

I was pretty happy with it but wanted to chance 240 so I tried it twice. The miss-lift @ 235 was a case of not being tight enough I think as when I got it I was just more focused.

Pretty good session.

4 mile bike home + light stretch

REST DAY

I biked to and from the gym today (8 miles total) but no workout. I tried going to yoga but I was late getting there and they had locked the door!

NANCY

I didn't really feel like working out today but did anyways cause it was so nice outside I couldn't resist.

warmup

little bit of mobility and butterfly practice. I was really just playing around with different things for a while.

WOD

NANCY

for time

5 rounds

Run 400m

15 overhead squats @ 95lbs 

Time = 14:36 

This was pretty killer. My legs felt more and more like bricks every round. really good to be out in the sun though. 

I did a little stretching and an 800m jog for cool down. 

Im probably going to rest tomorrow as I'm feeling a little burned out. 

I might actually go to a yoga class. 

Intervals

warm up 
1/4 mile jog
running specific drills

8 rounds 30 sec on 20 sec off on treadmil
speed - 8m/hr ,  12km/hr
incline 10.5

I had the speed at 9 initially but had to drop it after the 3rd round.
I didn't feel too strong during, I guess I didn't recover enough from the previous workout but I needed to get it in. I guess I should have set priority to this one as the 1/2 marathon is my main goal at the moment but my inner self will always shy away from the running.

you live and you learn.

rest 5 mins

skill
handstand practice 5 mins - slowly getting more solid. I still cannot maintain a freestanding one for longer than about 3 seconds.
As with everything, it will come, its just about putting in the time.

Crossfit Santa Clara weekly challenge 8

(6th out of 15)
warmup
6km bike ride to the gym

mobility drills with focus on shoulders + hips

Skill
butterfly pullups


10 thrusters with the bar
2 @ 95lbs
2 @ 135lbs
2 @ 155lbs
1 @ 165lbs

WOD - weekly challenge 8 
for time:
5-4-3-2-1 Thrusters @ 165lbs
1-2-3-4-5 muscle ups

Time = 5:51

Really fast workout. I feel like I could have pushed it a little more and maybe even gotten my time around the 5min mark but it is what it is.
thrusters were a bit too heavy for me. I got through the first 2 sets unbroken but the others were in 1's.
Muscle ups were all tough as always.


Rest 5 mins

KB flow drill ladder
(right side)
turkish get up
snatch 1 rep
press 1 rep
clean + press 1 rep
hand 2 hand swing
(left side)
snatch 1 rep
press 1 rep
clean + press 1 rep
reverse turkish get up
repeat the cycle again finishing with a reverse get up on the right hand side.

I did this full cycle with a 35lb KB then 45lb then 55lb

It was pretty good as a cool down or could be used as a warmup but to make it into a workout you could use 4 or 5 bells and cycle all the way up then back down again.


10min stretching.

I have to get a run in later so I'll take about 2 hours to recover.

Just show up !!!!!

There are so many elements that come into play in relation to how your workout will be on a given day, e.g., time of day, nutrition, etc., so sometimes you may want to give something your all but you simply can't. Whether this is a physical or mental limitation can vary depending on the circumstances.

I can certainly appreciate how difficult it is for someone to get up, get the kids ready, go to work for 8 hours and then be expected to go to the gym prior to getting everything ready for the next day. Equally some of you may be able to squeeze in your workout early before you have to deal with everything else but sometimes you sleep in or miss the alarm or little Jamie was up all night crying so you are simply too tired to make it in to the gym.
Whether you are an Olympic athlete striving to shave seconds off your lap time, or a sedentary mother of three just trying to achieve some balance in your life, it doesn't matter. Everyone wants to better themselves and everyone wants to improve. All of our goals differ by degree not by kind.

The majority of you do not have the benefit and privilege of working at a gym where you have an abundance of time to get a workout in. For most people there is a window of maybe 2 hours a day that you have to tackle.
So here's what you do.

1: Set a time aside with as much conviction and dedication as you do for any meetings you may have. Your personal health and well-being should be number 1 on your list of priorities. Even before your kids? YES. If you really care for your family then you will want to be fit and healthy to continue to be able to chase them around for years to come. This does not mean you have to neglect them in any way, just make time for yourself.

2: Just show up !!!! - If you make it to the gym then that's half the battle. Just get in here and we will look after the rest. What happens in that time can vary as I mentioned above but if you can make it in then you have already begun winning.

Some days your workouts will be good, some days not so good. It doesn't matter as long as you are here  moving forward. As I said before, everyone has different goals and equally everyone will progress at different rates. What it comes down to in the end is how badly you want what you want. I'm sure everyone of you reading this has wanted something so bad that you have done anything (within reason) to get it. When you got it I bet it felt good right? The harder you had to work to get it the more satisfying it was right?

Nothing worth having comes easy, guys, and personal health is no different. If you want something bad enough then you will get it no matter what it is. If you set your mind to anything then nothing is out of reach. It may take a week, 3 months or 2 years but what matters is you begin stepping towards your goal. As long as you are moving forward then you are going in the right direction. We get stronger in increments, lose weight gradually, regain health, movement and wellness one rep, one workout, one day at a time. So a little bump on the road to fitness is just that.  You stalled, it happens, that’s life. We keep going.

When you come into the gym and you see someone doing 20 pullups in a row, it's hard not to think "I could never do that."  Well, do you think he/she suddenly just walked in and just cranked them out? Very doubtful. The reality is that he/she has put in the time practicing and developing the necessary skills in order to be able to achieve such a feat. You can apply this to anything you really want. The question again is how badly to you want it?
Its important also to understand that missing a day, or a week does not somehow negate all your previous efforts. You earn your health and well being over time. You also need to realise that the sooner you get back in the driving seat the better.

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.” – Mary Pickford
Health is Wealth

REST DAY

Even though today was a rest day I still cycled about 15kms going around the place.
I'm pretty tight from the deads yesterday so I did a little mobility work + stretching to loosen out.
After the stretching I did about 10 mins of handstand/ balance practice.

Mainsite

I bought a bike this morning so I'll be riding out + back to the gym everyday now. Thats an extra 8 miles I'll be getting in each day. Every little helps! 

warmup
mobility

skill
butterfly pullups - really starting to come along. I can kind of get the rhythm going now its just hard to maintain but as I said before a little a day will help a lot.

WOD

15 Deadlifts @ 135lbs
15 push ups
10 rounds

Time = 10:53

This was a lot easier than I was expecting. I was able to maintain a round a minute up until round 6 then it started to slip. The push ups were my main issue (as usual) but I managed to get through most of the deads unbroken. I think I put the bar down twice in total but only to adjust grip, I didn't rest.

This WOD was off the mainsite on March 10th and in comparison to the people who posted times I actually did pretty well which is surprising. Most of their times were between 11 and 30 minutes so I guess I did pretty good.

Since going to yoga yesterday I want to start doing a lot more hand balancing and basic body control movements.
This is the beginning.

Kettlebell Complex

I took about an hour break after the yoga and wanted a quick workout so I did this Kettlebell one I have put a few people though over the last week.

warm up 
mobility drills

butterfly pullup practice - I'm finally actually starting to get this ! I havn't been trying it for a while but I watched a few tutorials online over the weekend and they have really helped. Getting these down will help a lot on WOD times so I'm going to spend a little bit of time on them everyday from now on.

WOD
55lb Kettlebell
5 single arm swings
5 long cycle cleans
5 press
5 rack squat
repeat on opposite side
5 rounds

Time = 9:00

Pretty good workout. I had to push press most of the reps in the last 2 sets as 55lbs is pretty heavy for me at the moment. Other than that everything else was pretty solid. I put the bell down twice to rest briefly but managed to get most of the rounds unbroken.

rest 2 mins

12-9-6
pullups
pushups

Time = 1:25

I wanted to do this little speed drill at least 3 times but I tweaked something in my shoulder doing the presses and felt a twinge on the push ups so I decided to call it after one round.
I will be incorporating little speed work like this more often from now on though as I feel it will help a lot of those short workouts like FRAN etc.

Yoga

I went to a yoga class this morning. First one I've been to in over 5 months! It was really good.
I've been meaning to get to a class for a long time as flexibility is something I want to improve upon.
I'm going to try to make it to a class at least once a week from now on.

I'm also going to revert back to my gymnastic skill warmups for a little while as I liked working in head stands etc. I don't know why I stopped doing them to be honest.

10Km Time Trial

It seems that every time I had to do a long run the weather is absolutely shit and today was no different.
Pissing rain. By the end of the run it felt like I was wearing a weighted suit.

warmup
usual mobility drills with running focus.

10km
I ended up running 10.11km as I mapped it out slightly wrong at the start but pretty accurate.

Time = 52:38

That works out to be 5:12 min kms or 8:22 min miles.

Thats pretty consistent with what I've been doing up until now so its ok I guess.
That was the longest run I've ever done in my life to date.
I feel pretty good after it but I def could have pushed it a little more. On the last km or so I started going a little faster and realized that I had a lot more left in the tank but you live n you learn.

REST DAY

Nice + sore after yesterday. I did a little bit of mobility stuff just to be active and walked a couple miles just to stay active.
10km tomorrow!

Hawaii Sectionals

So today I'm going to be doing 3 workouts.
They are the Day 1 workouts from the Hawaii Sectionals which have not taken place as of yet.
Before each workout I'm going to do my usual dynamic warmup including the movements which will be preformed in the workouts.


I'll update this post after I do each one.


Also I don't know how much time they allocate for rest etc after each event but I will be completing all 3 workouts within 6 hours.




WOD 1 "Nasty Girls"

3 Rounds for time:
50 Squats
7 Muscle-ups
10 Hang Power Cleans 135lbs

Time = 9:55 - I was shooting for sub 10 on this so right on target 1st round was about 2:30 second was 3:30 and the 3rd took just under 4. The squats were easy just burned, muscle ups were tough and the cleans weren't really heavy it was just cardio.

The next ones gonna be tough!

_______________________

Rest 2 1/2 hours

_______________________

WOD 2 "Skill Session A"

1. 30 Unbroken Kipping Pull Ups  - Pass New PR ! I was able to maintain the swing the whole way though so very happy
2. 10 Unbroken Overhead Squats 135lbs - Pass - Balance was the most challenging but I found it pretty easy
3. 10 Unbroken One-legged Squats - each leg  - Pass - a little fatigued after the squats but got through em without any real difficulty
4. 45 20-inch Box Jumps completed in one minute - Pass - 55 seconds
*5. 2 Unbroken Hand Stand Push-ups  - Pass - I'm not sure what the range standards were for this but I went head below the parallettes and back up to full extension. I was most worried about these and I actually surprised myself by completing both reps. 

* use paralettes for HSPU while women complete reps from the floor.
** All tests are pass/fail. Each athlete has one chance at each test. Successful execution of each movement awards the athlete 2 points.


I completed all the tasks above in about 20 minutes. Again I'm not sure on the competition standards but I just took about 2 min rest between each exercise. In the actual competition they may run it as a WOD but I'm not sure. 

My legs are pretty shot now so we'll see how the next one goes. 
Im gonna shoot for sub 10 mins on it which I feel is well achievable.  

_______________________

Rest 1 1/2 hours 

_______________________

WOD 3

For time:
150 Double-unders
9 Deadlifts 315lbs
100 Double-unders
6 Deadlifts 315lbs
50 Double-unders
3 Deadlifts 315lbs

Time = 10:17 - Just over my goal but I honestly couldn't have gone any harder or faster. It was brutal. The deads were really heavy for me and had to do sets of 1 on each. 




Im really happy with the 3 workouts today and this week as a whole has been really good. I PR'd on my deadlift, snatch, double unders and pullups so I'm stoked! 


I'm going to take a rest day tomorrow as I'm running 10kms on Sun and I want to be fresh. 

REST DAY

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

TOSH

I got this workout off crossfitendurance.com and it was extremely tough

warmup
dynamic movements ,  focus on running

1/4 mile jog.


Workout
3 x (200m + 400m + 600m)
The goal in this workout is do each distance resting the length of time it takes to run each part
eg run 200m + rest the length of time it took then run 400m and rest the amount of time that took then 600m etc.

I did this workout on a treadmill just so I could maintain a faster pace and I like having the data in front of me sometimes.

Round 1 - Incline 4 , 200m = 44sec (rest 44sec) , 400m = 1:55 (rest 1:55) , 600m = 2:35
Round 2 - Incline 5 , 200m = 41sec (rest 41sec) , 400m = 1:41 (rest 1:41) , 600m = 2:16
Round 3 - Incline 6 , 200m = 36sec (rest 36sec) , 400m = 1:33 (rest 1:33) , 600m = 2:12


The last round was extremely tough. I couldn't maintain the pace i set at the beginning of the 400 + 600 so had to reduce it half way through but it was still killer. My legs were pretty shot from the snatches this morning and the deads yesterday so thats also a factor but if ands and maybes right ???

Awesome training today!!!!!

Crossfit Santa Clara weekly challenge 7

(7th out of 10)
So this is my second week doing Khalipa's weekly challenge. It was a pretty different one. We'll see in a few days how I matched up against everyone who entered.

warmup

mobility drills and dynamic stretching 

bergner warmup with PVC + twice with bar 

5 snatches with bar 

3 with 95lbs 

1 with 115lbs 

WOD

Gentry Special

7 snatches in 7 minutes on the minute. 

score = total weight lifted in the time 

My total was 990 

135 x 2 , 140 x 2 , 145 x 2 , 150 x 1 

I'm pretty happy with this but I played it a little safe. Before I did the workout I knew I would do these weights as my lifts. My PR was 160 so I didn't want to push it too much in case I missed a lift which would have affected my score. 

After the workout I continued adding weight and I actually set a new PR of 165 

The video is below

Back in again for a bit of a play more than a 'workout'

warmup
double unders - set a new max - 72 unbroken

mobility drills

with weighted vest (10lbs)
10 dead hang pullups
20 push ups
10 pistols on each leg

3 sets of 5 negative HSPUs on parallettes - this was pretty tough to control but it will help with my overhead stuff I hope.

Im going to run tomorrow as well as do Khalipa's weekly challenge. Its a good one.

Deadlift 5 x 1

warm up
mobility drills + hip prep

10 with PVC , 10 @45 ,
5 @ 135 , 3 @ 185 , 3 @ 225 , 1 @ 275

Strength
Deadlift 5 x 1
300 , 325 , 335 , 345 , 355


New PR by 30lbs! Pretty happy about that. My form went to shit on the last few though but that happens I guess. I still feel like I could have gone a bit heavier but Ill test again in a few weeks.

I had a really easy session today to ease back into things as I still don't feel 100% after the sick dose.

dynamic warmup

1.5 mile run - really easy pace

5 turkish get ups each side with 85lb dumbbell.

stretch

REST DAY

I was up all night last night getting sick and I'm dead weak today so theres no way I can work out. I may even need to take tomorrow off aswell.

REST DAY

Nice rest today
heres a photo from a couple of weeks ago when I was playing around

51 1/2 inches

I also just found out that I placed 19th out of 43 on the Speal Special workout which I did during the week. Pretty good for my first attempt at the challenge. 

I probably should have rested today but I'm going up north tomorrow anyways so I can rest then.

warmup
dynamic drills

bergner warm up with PVC pipe + twice with 45lb bar.

5 squat cleans with bar
5 with 65lbs
5 with 85lbs
5 with 115lbs
5 with 135lbs

I wasn't trying to lift heavy on this one, I was just working on form more than anything.

rest a few mins then

AMRAP 10 min
2 muscle ups
4 HSPUs
8 KB swings @ 55lbs

= 6 rounds + 2 muscle ups + 1 HSPU

This was a pretty good workout but it wasn't really that tiring. My Handstand pushups are def the limiting factor up untill the 4th round I was averaging less than a minute per round and then I just kept failing on the HSPUs and had to take rest before completing each set.
The muscle ups were good, Doing them in sets of 2 is good for me to build into doing multiples.

Starting monday I'm going to attack my shoulders a little more as they are my biggest weakness for things like dips, push ups, handstand push ups and overhead press.
Also I will be trying to set a new max deadlift on monday so fingers crossed.

practice

So today I didn't really do a WOD as such, just had a bit of a play

warmup
double unders - 5 max sets - min 20.
24 , 35 , 26 , 25 , 35
getting a lot more consistent with these now.

mobility drills

3 rounds
10 pullups
10 push ups
10 squats

10 muscle ups - trying to get multiple in a row
4 , 3 , 1 , 2

Turkish get ups
80lb dumbbell
5 each side - pretty tough, had to take a little rest between each one.

10 min stretching

Kind of all over the place today with the workout but it was pretty good.

Crossfit Santa Clara weekly challenge 6

(19th out of 43)
This was my first attempt at Jason Khalipa's weekly challenge that he puts out on his site. I'm going to start doing this challenge every week and compare my times to others. Its going to be a good test for me each week.


warm up
foam roll - 5 mins
mobility drills + dynamic warm up drills

WOD
The Speal Special
5 rounds for time
7 burpee box jumps @ 24"
12 overhead squats @75lbs

= 6:52

Strength
I made the mistake of trying to rush my strength work after the metcon instead of the other way around.
shoulder press
5 x 3
115 , 125 , 135 , 145 , 150
missed lift at 150, I couldn't even get one rep so I dropped it back to 135 and did 2 more sets of 3's

I was kinda rushed as I had to leave quickly so I had much shorter rest periods so that may have effected the weight.
My previous PR for 3 was 155 so not a good day for the strength.

8 x 400

warmup
mobility drills and stretching
light jog for 5 mins working on running technique.


8 x 400m , 90 sec rest between each 


1- 1:36
2- 1:43
3- 1:43
4- 1:45
5- 1:45
6- 1:44
7- 1:48
8- 1:44

Pretty consistent on all except for the 7th one. My legs felt so heavy but managed to push hard on the last one. I would have liked to have all of them on the 144 mark but whatever.

FRAN

After the weekend I'm extremely motivated to get even more out of my workouts so to kick off the month I decided to test myself with FRAN, considered the holy grail in the crossfit community.

I spent about 30 minutes doing various mobility + stretching drills, working through the different ranges which I was going to be preforming in the workout.

100 double unders in sets of 20 - getting a lot more consistent now.

FRAN
21-15-9 
Thrusters @ 95lbs 
pullups


- 5:05 


I'm very happy with this time. One of my goals at the moment is to get sub 5min on this so Im almost there.  My previous time was 6:52 which was in December so I'd made a pretty big improvement in a little over 2 months.

REST DAY

I had the pleasure of attending a mobility certification in NYC today. I learned a lot and will be implmenting it all into my training aswell as anyone who will listen over the coming months.

2nd round

So I ended up hanging around the gym for a bit longer and wanted to do a but more so I tested my overhead squat.

warmup
mobility drills
bw squats

10 OH squats with bar
5 with 95lbs

strength
overhead squat 5 x 1
135 , 185 , 205 , 215 , 225

I'm pretty happy with all these, I had to do 205 like 3 times as I lost balance on the way up. I would have liked the 225 to have been a little cleaner but I'll take it!

warm up
100 double unders - 22,16,15,30,7,10
Mobility drills

10 reps with bar
10 @ 135
5 @ 185

Strength
Deadlift 5 x 3
185 , 205 , 225 , 275 , 300

rest 5 min

WOD
5 pullups
10 push ups
15 squat
AMRAP 10min

= 10 rounds + 5 pullups + 10 push ups

push ups are still my weakest exercise by far. Everything else was easy. Cardio felt good the whole way through, I just kept failing on the pushups. I'm goin to start doing them alot more in every workout from now on till I'm happy with them.

warm up 
mobility drills + 100 double unders.

WOD
5 rounds for time
5 muscle ups
10 overhead squats - 95lbs
15 KB swings - 55lbs

- 12:10

I had decided not to train tonight but I started having a play and one thing led to another.

Turkish get ups 
regular and squat style each side with each weight
2 w 70lb dumbbell
2 w 85lb dumbbell
2 w 100lb dumbbell

The video below is using the 100



3 sets of 5 HSPU
3 sets of 5 pistols each leg

So I got up this morning a little sluggish but warm and cosy at the same time. Watched the news while having my breakfast and coffee occasionally glancing out the window at the pissing rain.
It would have been so easy for me to just stay there on the couch and kill some time on the net but I had told myself last night that I was going to run to the gym.
I managed to cover the 6.1kms in 30:35 which I'm pretty happy with. I thought it would take at least 30 so I was right on the button pretty much.

While running in the rain I was looking at all the cars full of people on their way to work, some people looking at me like 'who is this guy running in the rain?' and some people were probably thinking "why is he running in the heavy rain ? surely he can't be enjoying it" The fact is that I wasn't enjoying it. I hated every step I took. The point is that I made myself get up when I didn't want to and slugged it out because I told myself I would.

Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to and sometimes its good to make yourself uncomfortable on purpose. Weather that means running in the rain or going to the gym for the first time in months is relative to you and your abilities.
I choose to put myself in these situations and I always feel good afterwards. The beginning and middle may not be very pleasant but the end always justifies the means.
There are always a million excuses not to do something and the time is never going to be right. You cannot control what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow. The only time you can take full control of is right now, this moment.

So of the 3 people that may actually read this, go out and do the thing that you were putting off doing today. You maybe tired or sore form your workout yesterday, or the kids might need this or that etc etc etc. Just get out there and start doing whatever you need to do. I know it sounds cheesy but seize the moment ! You are in complete control of your life and you have the power to achieve anything you set your mind to, so get out and do it !!!

REST DAY

Just chilled today, did a little bit of practice stuff but no workout.

2nd dose today

I went back to the gym this evening to do a bit of strength work.

warmup
upper body mobility drills
100 double unders - 4 sets - 27,28,24,21

Strength
Shoulder press 5 x 5
105 , 115 , 125 , 135 , 140

140 was really difficult, just made the last rep. I'm pretty happy with this as its 5lbs more than my previous PR for 5.

100 double unders - 10,11,20,5,13,7,19,8,4,3

Thrusters / Pullups

warmup
mobility drills
100 double unders - I decided to do this in 5 unbroken sets of 20 to try and work more on consistency. It took quite a few goes and twice I lost it at 16 and 17 reps so that was a little frustrating!

10 thrusters with the bar

WOD
five rounds for max reps of
Thrusters @ 2/3 bodyweight
pullups

Thruster weight = 120lbs

T  / P
10/15
10/16
11/16
10/13
10/15

total reps = 126

This was a pretty unusual workout. You were allowed take as much rest as was needed between sets. I didn't feel very good this morning during and thought that my score was pretty bad but in comparison to everyone else who posted on mainsite it seems ok.

Airforce WOD

warmup-
 100 double unders - much more consistent
Mobility drills
Trunk swings
Golf swings
Crossovers
Arm circles
Hip rolls
Leg swings
Deep lunges
Prison squats

Few thrusters just with the bar.

WOD - Midwest sectional qualifier
95 lbs
20 thrusters
20 Sumo deadlift high pulls
20 push jerks
20 overhead squats
20 front squats

Every minute on the minute do 4 burpees.

Time = 8:35

Pretty tough workout, I found the thrusters the hardest but it's probably just because it was the first exercise and my HR needed to increase. Overhead squats were my strong point and the burpees sucked! Every one of them.

40 min Tempo run

warmup
mobility drills
5 pullups
20 push ups
10 pistols - alternating

running drills

40 min Tempo run @85% R.P.E
I'm no 100% sure how far I got on this one as my phone app cut out sometime during the run and I didn't take notice of any landmarks at the turnaround point so I couldn't map it accurately but judging by what I think I did it was around 7.5km.

Good run all in all. Its the longest I've ever ran before and I felt pretty good.

Rest day

Really sore after yesterday so having another rest.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Linda

warmup
mobility drills

WOD
Modified Linda aka 3 bars of death
Deadlift - 225lbs
Push jerk - 160lbs
Squat clean - 140lbs

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps for time

Time = 25:39

This was extremely hard. Being the third workout I did today it was bound to be!
The prescribed weight for this was 285 for the deadlift (1 1/2 BW) and BW bench press which I subbed for the push jerk as I don't have a bench.

Awesome workout but really hard!

Tabata sprints

warmup
Running drills

Tabata sprints
8 rounds of sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds

This was tough but was pretty quick so was all good. I kept the work rate pretty constant.

Tabata this

warmup
100 double unders- getting better but still took a good few sets
Mobility drills

Tabata this
Each exercise is done for 8 sets of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. The workout is scored by adding together your lowest sets numbers for each exercise.

6 + 15 + 5 + 4 + 9 = 39

Pretty shit result. My endurance really needs to improve, especially my pushups.

REST DAY

I decided to take another rest day today as I felt like I needed it.
I'm looking forward to getting back into it again tomorrow

REST DAY

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
first rest day in 8 days so needed to chill

Chipper from 09 Games

Warmup
100 double unders- I'm going to start doing 100 every warmup until I can do it unbroken. It'll probably be a while though!

W.O.D
Chipper from 09 Games








This was brutal! Really hard. I can't believe that the guy who won did it in 19:36 after 2 workouts that day plus 5 the day before!

I set a time cap on it of 30mins so I just made it. Luckily I had Gil to push me through the lunges otherwise I wouldn't have made it.

Mens 2009 Games Triplet

warm up
mobility drills + double unders - getting worse again, need to practice them more

Strength
Deadlift 5 x 5
185 , 205 , 225 , 245 , 265

same weight as a few weeks ago for 5. Def need to start deading a little more.

WOD
max rounds in 8 minutes
4 HSPU
8 KB swings 2 pood (70lbs)
12 GHD situps

I managed 5 rounds flat. I finished the last GHD sit up with 3 seconds left.
Pretty tough but short. GHDs are another big weakness!
I'm glad they don't pop up too often.

9 rounds 1 min on 1 min off

warmup
mobility drills
10 pullups
10 dips
10 squats
running drills - 5 mins
light jog - maybe 400m

9 rounds 1 min on 1 min off
This was pretty tough. All out efforts each one. I'm not too sure how much distance I was covering each time but it was pretty consistent judging by the buildings I was using as markers.


Vibrams are pretty much broken in now. My calves are adjusting.

Max Snatch in 10 min (CF games 2009 event 6)

warmup
mobility drills
Burgener warmup with PVC then 45lb bar

few reps at 95lbs

WOD
Time limit of 10mins
find your max snatch
125 , 135 , 145 , 150 , 155 , 165

really happy with this ! new PR.
I feel like I may have gotten 165 but I decided to leave it there.

Jackie revisited

So I was going to rest today but everyone at the gym did the benchmark jackie yesterday and the last time I did it my pullups sucked and since they have gotten much better I wanted to have another crack at it.

warmup
double unders + mobility drills

WOD
"Jackie"
for time
row 1000m
50 thrusters @ 45lbs
30 pullups

= 7:38

I took a video of the workout as I thought people might think I was lying just to say I got a faster time.
I'm pretty happy with this time as on Jan 11th I got 9:38 so I was a full 2 mins faster pretty much a month to the day.
I guess I'm doing something right!

warm up
skipping + mobility drills
5 pistols each leg
5 muscle ups on bar

WOD
5 rounds
row 500m
135lb power clean - 12 reps
95lbs thruster - 15 reps

This was brutal! complete slugfest
total time = 29:50

Round 1 - 4:44
Round 2 - 6:36
Round 3 - 7:13
Round 4 - 6:27
Round 5 - 6:03

I pretty surprised that my last 2 rounds were faster than rounds 2 + 3. I guess I got into a grove.
Managed to keep all the rows under 2 mins.
In the last round I raced it as I wanted to get sub 30min.
just made it !

30 min Tempo Run

warmup
mobility drills, focus on running drills

30 minute tempo run @ 15 RPE
I got bang on 6kms in 30 mins so 5 min kms

Slightly faster than my last 5km run so pretty happy with it. I'm def getting a lot more comfortable running now but saying that I'm enjoying it would be going to far!

warmup
skipping and mobility drills
10 pullups
5 unbroken muscle up rows

burgner warmup

10 squats with bar
5 with 95lbs
3 with 135

WOD
resting 60 seconds between sets
Back Squat 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

225 for for the first 5 sets then 230 , 235 , 245 , 255 , 265

last rest I almost failed on the way up so the weight was pretty good. I probably could have started to increase it a little sooner but it was still tough.

rest couple minutes

9 unbroken muscle up rows - getting pretty solid.

10 frog stand to press into handstand.

Stretch.


Big storm coming tonight so I'm hoping I'll be able to get my run in tomorrow!

REST DAY

I've decided to take deviate slightly from the MEBB training that I have been doing for the last few weeks.

For the next 3 weeks I'm just going to follow the main site WOD and see how it goes. I will have to scale things back for some of the workouts but I will do my best to stick to it. I will follow my own warmups and skill work but the bones of my workout will be this.

looking forward to it.

today I just messed around doing a few handstands and muscle ups here and there.

3 x 1000

warmup 
mobility drills - focus on running
5 ring dips
7 strict pullups
10 pistols - 5 each leg.

3 x 1000m 2 min rest between each 


1: 4:38
2: 4:13.9
3: 4:32.5


I was pretty surprised at how much faster the second one was but now that I think about it I think I was running down wind so I guess that must have helped!
It was really cold out today and very hard to breath. Second day out in the Vibrams and my calves are still taking a pounding.

ME WK3 Day 3 Cycle 1

warmup
skipping
mobility drills with focus on shoulders

warm up sets
10 @ 45lbs , 5 @ 65lbs , 3 @ 95lbs

Strength
Shoulder Press 5 x 1
135 , 145 , 155 , 160 , 165


I attempted 165 twice but couldn't do it. I'm pretty happy with this as I set a new PR by 5lbs but I would have thought that it would have been higher seeing as my PR for a set of 3 was 155.
Once again I suppose I can't complain.

That completes my first Max Effort Black Box cycle. I will post the schedule for my next cycle tomorrow.

WOD

Art of Strength essentials test 

weight - 35lbs KB

each exercise is done for 30 secs - bell cannot touch the floor once you begin.

Right side - start on floor

turkish get up - finish standing

high pull to snatch

press

long cycle clean

squat

single arm swing

figure 8 to hold (finish with bell in left hand)

Left side

single arm swing

squat

long cycle clean

press

high pull to snatch

reverse turkish get up

I used a lighter weight on this than the previous time I did it but half way through I realized I should have gone with the heavier one. 

Still good but I should have made it harder for myself.

rest 2 mins

spend 2 mins in a handstand - 2 sets, 1st 1min 25secs, 2nd 35secs

5 pistols each leg with 15lbs barbell overhead
5 bw pistols each leg
My right side is still sooooo much weaker than my right. I may start doing them all the time just to try and help them progress a little faster.

warmup
mobility drills
3 rounds
5 ring dips
7 strict overhand pullups
10 pistols (5 each leg)

WOD
4 rounds
row 400
20 wall ball

= 10:02

Turkish get ups
5 each side with 55lbs

Pretty good workout. I felt really good when everything was done.

ME WK3 Day 2 Cycle 1

warm up
mobility drills
burgner with PVC

BW squats
squats with bar
few sets of 5s and 3s building up

Strength
Front Squat 5 x 1
205 ,  215 ,  225 ,  245 , 265


I attempted the 265 twice but failed on both attempts. I probably should have tried a lighter weight but .....


Rest

Art of Strength essentials test 
weight - 45lbs KB
each exercise is done for 30 secs - bell cannot touch the floor once you begin.
Right side - start on floor
turkish get up - finish standing
high pull to snatch
press
long cycle clean
squat
single arm swing
figure 8 to hold (finish with bell in left hand)
Left side
single arm swing
squat
long cycle clean
press
high pull to snatch
reverse turkish get up

A very short one, but a burner!

9 min Time Trial

My calves are still pretty sore but I have to get this run in so I bucked up.
warmup
mobility drills + running drills
5 pullups
5 dips
10 squats

9 minute Time Trial 
The goal is to basically run as far as you can in 9 mins. I feel like I could have gone much faster but that happens a lot I guess.
Distance = 1.99 km , 1.24 mil

This was about 2 1/2 mins faster pace than my 5km pace which is to be expected but It should be faster.

I've kind of been more focused on my Strength training since beginning this program so after this week I will begin to focus more on my running. I am not training for anything specific other than the 1/2 at the moment so my goals should be more on this.

REST DAY --kinda

Today was pretty much a disaster training wise. I went out for a run this morning but literally couldn't run because my calves are still sore from Saturday!
I've started using a foam roller now though so hopefully that will help me work out the tightness and DOMS a little faster in future.
When I got to the gym I started my warm up and just felt really weak and got quite light headed so I just stopped half way through my warm up.
My diet has been a little off the last few days as I have not been feeling good so I guess it caught up to me.
Hopefully everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

ME WK3 Day 1 Cycle 1

I really wasn't feeling it today but wanted to train anyways.
First day of maxes.

warmup
mobility
3 rounds
5 strict pullups
5 ring dips
10 squats

burgner warm up

few warm up sets @ 95, 135 , 155

Strength
Power Cleans 5 x 1
185 , 195 , 205 , 215 , 225

I managed to PR but I wasn't really happy as I just felt like shit today.
I suppose I can't complain.

Turkish get ups
2 each side with 70

REST DAY

Im really happy to be resting today!! sooooooo sore. My calves are still killing me from the sprints on saturday so I need the rest.

Just found this website along with the lecture. There are 9 parts to the lecture but its well worth watching.

ME WK2 Day 3 Cycle 1

warmup
1/2 mile jog from bus stop to gym
mobility drills with emphasis on shoulders

burgner warm up with PVC pipe
few warm up sets of shoulder press 10 @ 45, 10 @ 65, 5 @ 95

Strength
Shoulder Press 5 x 3
105 , 115 , 135 , 145 , 155

Im really happy with this. My previous PR for this lift was 145 for 1 rep so I've already beaten that. The handstand push ups along with these workouts must be working!

metcon
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
95lb hang power snatch
handstand pushups  (head to 25lb plate)

= 16:55

This was brutal. I though initially I would have gotten sub 10 min but the HSPUs were just too hard after the shoulder presses. I realized it was gonna take a while after the set of 9 but I pushed through and managed to finish.

Im really looking forward to next week to see what my maxes look like.

warmup
mobility drills

3 rounds
5 dips
5 weighted pistols each leg - 25 , 20 , 20
5 frog stand to handstand

rest 3 mins

WOD
3 rounds
10 pullups
10 KB swings - 55lbs
10 chest to floor push ups
10 KB snatches each arm - 45lbs
10 KTE (knees to elbows)

= 9:18

rest 5 mins

Turkish Get ups
5 each side (alternating) with 70lb bell

8 x 200s

warmup
mobility drills + 5 mins skipping
400m jog

workout 
8 x 200m - 3min rest between each


1: 41.8
2: 38.8
3: 41
4: 41.5
5: 43.8
6: 43.4
7: 40
8: 40.3

My times are pretty consistent but I have nothing to compare them to so I don't really know if they are good or not. Its been a long time since I did sprints.

Today was my first day outside in the Vibrams. I have been working out inside in them for the past few weeks gradually breaking em in but today was the test. They feel awesome as it feels like your bare foot and forced to last mid strike or ball of the foot and it kills when you last on your heal. I'm planning on doing the half in these so lots more to come.