Crushing It!

January 30, 2009 · Filed Under crossfit metro blog, work out of the day · Comment

Back on two-a-days.

Still picking my own WODs, which might not be the best strategy, but it’s what I’m doing.

Lots of strength training, overhead squats, pull-ups, bar muscle-up attempts… some runs. I even started messing with overhead squats on the inverted half-ball.

Today’s WOD

Four rounds of:

400 meter sprints (a little weak – but I am sore)
- 8.0
- 8.2
- 8.4
- 8.6
40 air squats

Total of 160 squats – aaargh.

I was sore today from the heavy strength training I’ve been managing this week, but I got through it. A little short run tomorrow with the wife, then I’m going to rest for the weekend, ready to kill it on Monday.

Weight: 199 today {sigh}

Diet: so-so…I am so hungry sometimes that I succumb to the ham/egg/cheese on wheat bread at the downstairs deli. It’s just so damn good and I can rationalize the hell out of it on the way down. Lots fruit, nuts, and my steak salads. At dinner, one meat, one salad, and maybe a “bite” of carbs (potato or pasta)

FWIW – ran on a belly full of pasta and actually enjoyed it.

Tags: run, training, Work Out of the Day

Reflect Day

January 28, 2009 · Filed Under crossfit metro blog, work out of the day · Comment

Push-pressed 205 for a new max weight.

Have improved in bar muscle-ups, handstand push-ups, and overhead squats.

Have not been following the HQ WODs because of my recovery from the 50K, however, I plan to start back tomorrow on official HQ WODs

Weight: I’m a little heavy, bouncing around 195-205 depending on when I weigh, but for some reason still ‘appear’ leaner. Clothes still fitting looser. I can’t figure it out.

Diet: I’ve been good this week. Lots of red meat, salad, and very limited refined carbs. (a couple of Pop-Tart meltdowns, but hey – I’m human)

Signed up for Climb Atlanta 2009 – and will do the event in full firefighter gear, one week from the qualifiers.

Tags: climb atlanta, handstand push-ups, overhead squats, push-press, What is Crossfit?, work out of the day

Continuing to Improve

January 26, 2009 · Filed Under crossfit metro blog, work out of the day · Comment

My 50K trail race went very well, and I attribute much of mu ultrarunning success to my CrossFit training and CrossFit Endurance.

Back in the saddle. We’ll call today’s WOD just that…

WOD – Back in the saddle

Overhead squats progressions up to 140lbs
Handstand push-ups (up to 8 with some cheats)
21 kipping pull-ups
11 bar muscle-ups (with bench aid)
Back extensions progressing with weighted ball, couple sets at 13 reps

Diet: Been poor on the diet. Ate poorly out of town and aftere my race. Spent some days at home eating poorly as well. Not good. …but back in that saddle as well.

*** Won’t weigh myself until Friday to allow myself to get backto normal.

Tags: 50k, recovery, What is Crossfit?, work out of the day

Checked Out a New CrossFit Class

January 21, 2009 · Filed Under crossfit metro blog, work out of the day · Comment

My local YMCA does a CrossFit-like interval training thing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and seeing as how I had to get up super early anyway, I checked out the class at 5:40 a.m. today.

WOD – Tabatas

Five rounds:

tabata situps
tabata deadlift high-pull with dumbbell (?)
tabata mountain climb
tabata thrusters
tabata push-ups

(tabatas are 20 seconds on, 10 seconds recovery, for eight sequences)

Training notes

Yikes. This was tough after yesterday’s beatdown – and at 5:40 a.m. no less.

Ouch.

Went well, but the class is definitly not CrossFit and there were some serious issues with form. That being said, it was beneficial and a great workout. I might do the HQ workout this evening to stay on track.

Tags: intervals, tabatas, What is Crossfit?, ymca

Mind Over Matter

January 20, 2009 · Filed Under crossfit metro blog, work out of the day · Comment

There are some CrossFit workouts, or any tough, intense workout for that matter, that take you to another level.

In this morning’s WOD (workout of the day), I got to experience some of that crazy Zen-shit.

Rounds one, two, and three were pretty tough. Even at am scaled weight of 215 lbs, instead of 250, I didn’t think I would get through a total of 75 deadlifts, …but I did.

It’s those latter rounds, four and five, were you move into a psycho, almost trance-like state, where all you are thinking about is proper form, to stay injury-free, coupled with monster intensity to simply get through this sh@!.

The end result? a satisified, but tired and hungry, trainee.

Monday WOD

Complete for time – Five rounds of:

Run 400 meters
30 GHD sit-ups (No GHD – did Abmats instead)
15 deadlifts at 250 lbs

Training notes

Weight: ~198 (yikes! – see weekend notes)

Diet: scale of 1-10? …1 (yikes! – see weekend notes)

This was very hard. I suppose with a real GHD machine, it would ave been even harder. I actually felt like I got a small chance to recover during the sit-ups.

Deadlifts at high rep are just brutal. Grip starts to go, form starts to flail, grunts get louder and louder until your wife wonders what the Hell is going on down there …it gets a little crazy.

I ran all the 400s at 8mph except the first which I ran at 7mph. My treadmill sucks, but it’s still better than freestyle running since it forces you to a pace.