Monday, September 29, 2008

Death by pull push!!!

Death by pull push . . .

On a continuously running clock, on the first minute do one pullup one pushup, second minute, two pullups . . . .

10 rounds . . . 11th round finished on the beeping . . .

So just shy.

On death by pullup, last time I got . . . . hangon . . 10 rounds and 9 pullups . . .

THAT'S heelarious . . . add pushups and I get . . . 2 more pullups. HAHAHAHA!!

AM Squats CFSB

Some w/up then
3x165
3x175
3x185

The last set is 1 lb less than my 3 rep max from a couple weeks ago.

So I'll try 190/195 next week.

Depth was to a 15" home depot orange bucket . . . found out that a dynamax ball would have a diameter of 14": so close I'm pretty sure it's parallel . . .

This will look good next to my redneck squat rack . . .

http://www.micheldebroin.org/projects/bluemono/

Hey Y'all!! Watch this!!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Thoughts about the 2009 Crossfit Games

At least in running/triathlon, there's no "scaling" everyone does the same course, but there's "elite" and then there is everyone else, broken into age groups. So you compete in age groups if you're not one of the top dogs.

Another point is that the games take on a larger than necessary importance within the Crossfit community because it's the ONLY real games. There aren't feeder games or regionals . . . yet. Not that it won't happen to cfit, but if I want to do a tri or a 5k/10k/anything I just wander down to the running store, and pick up 70 flyers and I can race/bike myself into oblivion. Cfit just doesn't have that maturity as a sport or an organization just yet.

Also, it was clear from the evolution of the two prior games that a lot of thought went into the last one. You could tell by the way the events were structured (am I wrong that more competitor slots opened when the 20 minute rounds/12 minute cutoff allowed for more rounds in any given day?)

So not having scaling, etc., means MORE top level guys and gals can go at it AND that's absolutely as it should be. But I think some folks are pointing out something along the lines of the fact that guitar companies don't make money off rock stars . . . they make it off us ordinary schmoes. For better or worse, it was the firebreathers that were the initial core of crossfit, but its success and longevity depends completely on there being a lot of us ordinary schmoes paying our fees and showing up week to week.

And it's not that I can't go to the games, it's that last year I could, but now I can't go ever again most likely (and I had me a rockin' scaled time . . . ) but there's nothing else similar to replace it yet. These events are just flat out fun.

I understand both sides of the argument, I just tend to side with the "inclusive" side of things. For me, it'll be more fun when there'll be mini-games out and about. That's all. I mean the regionals will be open, there's hardly a way they couldn't be, so hopefully that will be where I get my pain fix. ;-)

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Fight Gone Bad

Fight Gone Bad

As Rx’d=266 (pr)

Previously

3/8/08 = 273 but with 55lb sdhp and push press and 16lb wall ball
9/29/07 = 258 (with 16kg sdhp)

I’ll take it.

Rounds:

row 16-15-15
Wall ball 23-18-19
SDHP 25-20-17
Box Jump 24-18-20
pp 15-11-10

Saturday, September 27, 2008 - "Fight Gone Bad III"!!!!! - CrossFit Plano

The aftermath . . .

Friday, September 26, 2008

PM workout CFSB

Front Squats

5x3

95, 105, 115, 125, 135

12-9-6 back squat @ 130 First time doing that, so not pr . . . thought the front squat was a pr, but I've done 143 not to long ago for a triple.

No metcon tonight, FGB tomorrow . . .

Just to get these somewhere searchable

five rep max dl: 231

Needed to roll out my old prs that may not have been on here

Front Squat: 3x143 10/01/07, 1x176 2/22/08

Back Squat: 1x199 5/2/2008, 3x186 8/12/08

Push Jerk: 3x135 7/22/08

Crossfit total 5/2/2008

press 109
heavy squat 199
DL 243

Thursday, September 25, 2008

A blistering pace . . .

Did the Brand Wod from a day or so back, easy backyarder.

AMRAP 15 minutes

5 db thrusters @25% bodyweight so 40lbs, used 35.
5 overhead lunges
10 CTB pullups

5 rounds, +5 +5 +7 . . .

Doh!!

Two problems:

1) Should have gone for 40lbs. Because the the thrusters and lunges went faaaast but the pullups went slow
2) pullups were the log jam. At least 10-15 do overs and that was counting the "felt clavicle pass within one skin cell of bar . . . " pullups sheesh.

So I never got to where I was really pushing it. Great wod, but I need to get the pullups down so that I can use them as part of a metcon wod. I have to admit that after nearly two years of this, I still can't say that's the case. I seriously need to work on my sets.

Yeah, the only thing I blistered was my hands . . .

AM WOD-Presses CFSB

3x5: 85-90-95 (pr).

15-12-9 @ 65lbs

Everything went up well. Even the 95s weren't a complete struggle till the last one. The 15-12-9 was a test, it was only going to be a 12-9-6 but the 12 went straight up so kept going.

Next week, 90-95-100

15-12-9 @ 70lbs.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Virtual Shovelling . . .

PM wod

Weird A** Virtual Shovel workout:

Pack

25-20-15-10 shovels/pushups

shovels: 6' 35lb girly bar plus 25lb plate and 10 extra . . .

10:35 . . . Kempie is right, this was just wrong . . .

touching end of bar over a 26" stepladder, with an 18 inch base . . .

The thing I noticed about this, is I'd like to know where you ought to put your hands. If its one hand at the far end and one in the middle, then I didn't quite do that. I had my hand closer to the end of the bar, I mean, not to the end, but somewhere between smooth part of the bar and the knurling. I can't remember, but I'm with Kempie, it's like a deadlift with a Franken step . . .

Went back and looked at the vid and the woman was holding the bar pretty close to the weight, the picture on the Brand X site showed it more like a shovel, but if that was a 45lb plate, that guy is a hoss . . .

Anyway, I think my pushups were pretty good but this was a chest, back, and grip destroyer. Plus the whole multiples counting thing . . . over and back = one. I had LOTS of redone reps because when I get into the wod i get the dain brammage and I start counting the easiest thing which is every time the bar taps the floor . . .

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Gamesmanship: when the chips are down

Boy to Wife, handing her a bag of chips: "We can play a game called open this!" He's eating chips right now, so I think he won . . .

Well, I suppose it's party time for Mormons . . .

Baptists, and Muslims . . .

Party time people!!!

PM Squats, AM Deads CFSB

Bad day at Back Squat

3x3 back squat

155/165/175

Executive summary: I tried this this yesterday morning (see post below) and couldn’t do it. Managed to get at night though.

Did manage to video it . . it seems like my first and second rep are kinda crappy but the third seems to work out . . . But that's my "gee I hope I'm good" eye telling me things I WANT to hear.

AM Deads

TRYING to keep everything GD told me in mind:

bar over the middle of the foot . . .
BEND shins to touch bar
head up, chest up, tighten back . . .

At 125, it might be okay . . and I had been practicing . . . HONEST

Anyway, I think there were some FUGLY reps in there.

for this:

3x3: 205,215,225
and then 12-9-6 @ 185

WOWZA. Okay: Didn't get the 12 set. Somewhere at 7-8 I set her down and then finished. During the 9 set, started to lose grip BAD. Very nearly dropped the 6 set on the last rep, and reviewed the vid, ugly ugly ugly.

I'm going with Rippetoe's statement that it's a weak back causing rounding if I can't hold it tight during the reps as well as a need to really get my butt down.

Monday, September 22, 2008

AM CFSB-Discretion is the better part of Valor

or somesuch.

Was going for 3x3 heavy squats, but dang if it just wasn't going to happen today.

1) get under bar, try and adjust wrist position from a bent to a straight wrist, while keeping elbows back and high . . . ouch! Shoulder rotator cuff thingy is sooore.

2) get that kind of managed, lift up 125 off the redneck squat rack . . take a step back, start to squat, yowza. Something ain't right. Low back is sore. And squats don't usually make it sore, I'll feel some tightness at the end of the motion, in the bottom position, but this man, knees coming forward, losing hamstring engagement. I just couldn't keep it together. So thoughts of say 175lb triplet just flitting away.

3) Back off, try another tack. Maybe I'm just realllly stiff and sore still from "The Chief". Do some with just the bar. Fine. Do some squats with 85lbs. Fine. Put some more on the bar, and try again and no way Jose. Just not gonna happen. By this time, I gotta get the kids up for school and make some breakfast and lunches, so may have to wait till night time to see if we can pick up where we left off.

Ouch. I gotz zero.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

PM wod CFSB-The Chief

"The Chief"

5 rounds of 3 minutes work 1 minute rest between rounds of 3 power cleans @ 135lbs, 6 pushups 9 squats

Used 125lbs.

Round 1) 4 rounds
Round 2) 2 rounds plus 8 squats
Round 3) 3 rounds plus 1 clean
Round 4) 2 rounds plus 3 cleans
Round 5) 2 rounds

There weren't many rounds for a couple reasons. The first is that I'm understrong as well as overweak . . . . . the second is that the biggest wheel weight I have is 45, so to keep the bar the proper distance from the ground, I needed to use that much weight (35lb bar, 2x45lb plates).

Another reason, I took more time on setup than more experienced lifters would take. So I lost a lot of time futzing around at the bar. Not that the extra time would have gotten the bar up any faster . . . .

Oh yeah the last reason: This s*** was HARD. :coolgrin: I can usually pick out where I'll be sucking wind or muscle failure and honestly didn't see it this time. Three hard cleans . . . DL then hip action . . . all leg, then 9 squats. Yeah, you got some quadsticles when you got done with this . . . .

AM Shoulder press CFSB

3x85lbsx5

Went well. Very fast and no headache this morning. ;-)

Trying to figure that one out. Also feel less depressed . . . maybe the 10 hours sleep was good for me? ;-)

Will see about pm wod. The cheif? :-)

We'll see . . .

Friday, September 19, 2008

AM-WOD-CFSB--FS/BS

Front Squat:
3x85
3x95
3x105
3x115
3x125 (pr)

Back Squat: 1x20x125 (pr)

Whoa.

FS went well. Pretty sure the depth was good. Again, last set, 125 was hard, but not grievous until the last rep.

BS--I mean, holy smokes. No wonder Rip says these are hard to do. They are . . um hard to do. At about 15 reps I swear your entire body is screamin' for Miller time . . . I mean, hands shaking kind of stuff.

I'm worried about the depth on these a bit more than the fs because as you tire out and buddy, this is the pain . . . I'm worried I'm not hitting my marks. Will vid next efforts and see how abominable my form is . . .

Update: The more I think about it, the more I don't like what's going on here. I think my form is bad, which I can't diagnose while I'm working out.

Isabel . . . forgotten post . . .

Isabel: 30 snatch @135lbs . . . hahahaha

anyway, Troy said: we can do it right . . . or fast. Okay.

So did about 50, 30 for time with weight . . . long time, low weight . . .

Anyway. I think it was a 35lb total. I need to get some 10lb and 15lb bumper plates to practice these at home . . .

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Just not in the farkin mood . . .

Ever have one of those days?


Kind of like the crap is raining from the sky

Anyway.

Here's this:

A tale of two situs . . .

I am the proud owner of two licenses to practice law. One from Texas, the other from New Mexico. So I sat for the bar in two states and ruined two summers . . '97 and '98 to be precise.

Now, and you may find this as funny as I did . . . . laugh riot it was, you take whatever tests the state requires. HOWEVER . . . one day of the tests is the same across the country . . i.e., it's a standardized test.

But you generally can't use that portion in another state . . . i.e. you can't transfer it and just take whatever else the state requires. Yeah, so that's like taking the SATs but not being able to use the verbal portion when applying to schools in Florida . . . (though this is not the case in some areas . . . where the states are geographically small and practitioners typically represent folks from any one area: I understand the Philly/Jersey area is like that).

For me that meant this delicious irony: New Mexico doesn't take another state's test scores or any of that. Which I find odd: "We don't recognize the test we recognized as valid because you didn't take it within our borders . . . " Nice.

So, I had to study twice. That meant two bar review courses. In Texas, we were big enough to get a great many of our lecturers in person. The next year when I took the reviews in New Mexico, We got videos. Of the same people. I knew the jokes as they were coming up . . . and they weren't that great . . . except for this guy.

Just a great great lecturer. I can still remember quotes: "You are not seeking clarity, understanding, and insight. That takes many years of study of confusing and and often contradictory materials. No, you my friends are looking for glib famiiliarity." I loved that. And he was just fun to listen to. When most of these folks are barely tolerable. I wish his partner and family the best.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

PM WOD-Skill Day, one round of Kelly CFSB

Night wod was a skill day, kettlebell swing practice, and then some groups did three rounds of Kelly but we did one "perfect" round.

400 meter run
30 box jumps
30 20lb wall balls, 10ft target.

5:33

The run was 1:05 . . .

The rest was the suck. I'm still coughing up stuff an hour later.

5 rounds of that would be the complete suck.

Week 2, CFSB, AM Deads

3x205
3x210
3x215

Note to self . . . need more weight . . .

12-9-6 @175lbs

I know, ideally, this should be a PR type effort, but my 5 rep max is 231. I don't know what my top 3 rep max is. Although hard, I may get froggy next week and try the

Interesting. I took video. I'm not sure about my back position. I need to see some else to see if I'm holding it correctly. I also seem to have a problem with raising my hips before the bar, at least on the first rep of any given set. Additionally, and I THOUGHT I was paying attention to this, but it doesn't look like I'm getting my shoulders back, hips forward at the top of the rep. I know it FELT like it. My questions are whether my shoulders are enough forward of the bar, and whether my back position is good. It's not fishpole rounded, but I need to see what it's supposed to look like to know if I'm in the ballpark.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Well I think I'll do a two pronged attack:

This is brilliant . . . I'll put my real lunch in these, but still leave out some decoy dog poop sandwiches . . .

Kettlebells, swingin' Linda ish ness . . .

w/u

15-12-9
ball slams
burpees

10-9->1
kb clean and press 24kg (16)
Sandbag lunge
kb snatch 24kg (16)

14:50 something . . . can't quite remember.

Cool down, cash out:
2x10 pullups with 45 second rest between rounds

I had NO hips today. It was funny. Even with the 16. It happens with the 24, where it's not going up, but then I realize I need to really get some oomph into it. Today? No oomph. Even on the 16. I really have to wonder if it's the heavy squats. Better be.

Also i felt like minor crap all day. Had a weird headache this morning. And it never seemed to leave. But I feel better now. But the thing is I think I could have pushed through this wod about 2-3 minutes faster.

AM CFSB-Squats

Buy in--Starbucks, something something blend . . .

3x160x5

NP: Generator, Bad Religion, No one knows, Queens of the Stone Age, Disposable Heroes, Metallica,

cash out 25 kte, one set. Ouch.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Randy

Randy

75lb power snatch, 75 reps for time

Pack Scale:

55lbs, 50 reps

see previous

http://rantopedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/been-on-oliday-ginger.html

I had the perfect opportunity to test my standard method of determining whether to move up or not.

Old time: 5:54, new time: 3:37 Time to move up.

Got to use the new oly bar but needed to build a stack of something so that when I touched the weight to the floor it came close to where the bar needed to be. So I stacked some plates until they were about 5 inches high so I could touch them and be close to the height of a bar with a standard size plate on it.

Friday, September 12, 2008

AM WOD-CFSB

w/u 10x35 (bar) for form and stretching, 5x85 for same.

3x115x3 Front Squats

Not much trouble till last rep of the last set. Even then, just hard, but not horribly so.

2-4 minutes between rounds (or lift: run in accomplish one task getting kids ready for school, run back out lift . . )

1x115x20 Back Squats

HOLY SMOKES no kidding this is hard. It's weird hard too. It wasn't like air squats where the quads just give up, but like hips start hating you and that's weird and then legs decide they don't like the working conditions either, so per union rules or as a show of solidarity they start striking too . . with each rep you can feel things going a little more downhill . . not big muscle failure but you know you're looking at gettin' laid out . . . it's more like your whole body is just hanging on. Next week . . . 120 . . 125 . . . working on those Quadsticles . . .

I depth felt good, not like the "I'm hoping I got depth" feeling at all. Made sure I did the press out of knees at bottom I think I have a bit of trouble with that. Could feel the adductors(abductors? Stalagtite? Stalagmite?)i.e. GROIN muscles working.

I think I got through 50 pages of Starting Strength and THEN Rippetoe says "i.e. groin . . . ) Ha! I was like "add----whatever, knees out".

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Wodishness-CFSB

Shoulder press

3x75x5

15 minutes later

3x5:00 of Cindy, with 3:00 rest between rounds

round 1: 5 rounds, plus 6 pushups
round 2: 4 rounds 10 pushups
round 3: 4 rounds 8 pushups

Wow. That was a pure exercise in cycle rate. I felt pretty good today after Monday and Tuesday's beatings. That is until I actually tried to exercise . . .

The shoulder press went well. But right shoulder still giving me slight grief. Slight pain? Discomfort? On lift and seems like weakness, but I don't know. Of course, pullups don't help things.

The Cindy thing was wrong. Because it was only 5 minutes, there was no reason not to kill yourself.

All the pullups were good, as in: easy enough. Trying to remember things that I'm coached on: so I paid attention to the things I know I do: miss full extension on the squat, on pullups the kick at the end of the kip, and full rom on pushups.

Cfit Haiku

when 3 2 1 go!
starts the first rep of many
you won't die, you hope.

Angie: one hundred
pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, squats
get back on the bar

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

We was gonna get some science . . .

Then we got somethin' else!!!

We almost built something like this in Texas.

Then they killed the funding and it got turned into a bunch of left turns.

Yep. From Neutrinos to Nascar . . .

I am so proud.

Update: As RBB points out in the comments, the one is not the other. The story was too good to check! Ha!! So partially correct: we started with a sciency super collider and ended up with a Nascar supercollider!!! The money for one was not the money for the other . . . though still . . .

I got the runs . . .

4x400 meters, 2:00 rest between rounds

1:16
1:17
1:27
1:23

so 11:23 (iffn' my maths are right).

Interesting. It's a route near my house . . . 400 out, 400 back. Slight uphill out, slight down back.

Still . . . BIG drop off in the third round . . . actually outran my legs and my lungs on that one. Usually it's one or the other

AM Deads . . .CFSB

w/u

125x5
165x3

3x205x3

1x165x20 (pr)

Funny, but the 3x165 seemed hard . . . till I did the 3x205 . . . and the 20x165 was actually easier (seeming) after that though at 15, started to get the booty ache bad . . .

Monday, September 8, 2008

Kettlebell Hell

W/U 5 min, turkish getups

AMRAP 40-subs in parens
5 kb clean and press (clean only)
5 kb front squat
5 kb snatch (one hand swings)
5 kb oh lunge (kb racked, but not overhead)
5 kb power swings (russian)

14 rounds plus front squats

24 kg kb.

Couple of notes. I got there late . . . no 16kg bells left . . . that's what everyone but ME was using. Two, I am limiting overhead stuff for a period of time, so none here.

Still, this was an awful slog. One, it was long, two the weight was heavy, I mean, even our big dogs were using 16kgs, which is why I was sucking wind. Actually, just busting my backside, only rarely getting moving fast enough for metconish feelings . . .

Going to bed early tonight . . . .

Squat Day one, GD's weakness therapy . . .CFSB

AM WOD

3x155x5

Using the homemade redneck squat rack (4x4's set in concrete in home depot paint buckets . . the Gunner special), do 3 sets of 5x155.

Depth felt good. Each round the last rep was hard, but went up fine.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Fat and Jackie . . .

Fat and Jacked-up . . .

A version of Jackie.

We were supposed to do Phat Jackie today: see previous Jackie attempts/variations.

1000 meter row
50 95lb thrusters (95lb front squats)
30 20lb weighted pullups (russian swings, 32kg)

12:49

I’m having a touch of pain on shoulder presses, so am laying off the overhead for a bit, working around it. So we worked through some subs.

So I went heavier on the thrusters than I would have normally since I was only doing front squats. Went for up elbows, proper depth, butt back as far as I could keep it. Used a dynamax ball to measure depth. Had the trainers right there most of the time, no one complained about my form. Which is nice, but I know there are little things I might pay attention to.

Did the front squats as 10-10-10-10-10, Kbell swings as 15-15. Wish I could do my pullups that way.

On the workout front, got the redneck squat racks in place. :-) Gonna be fun.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Crap Parenting . . . Someone else in the spotlight



Sorry, but that is just TOOOO funny.

You know the voice . . .

The staccato: "Did you have to lick your hand on TV for goodness sake!?!"

HAHAHA!!!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Crap GRANDPARENTING Jersey Boys Edition . . .

Okay, this is good . . .

We joke about the house that I'm genius . . . it usually comes up when I do something spectacularly stupid. But to keep from getting mad or something, it's more fun to make fun of it. Hence: I AM A GENIUS!!

So my son takes to calling me a Genius. He's still being funny, not sarcastic . . . I think.

So one day at dinner we're joking around and boy says "Daddy is a genius!" and I say "Yes! You got that right!"

So my son says: "Fudging Genius!"

But, like the narrator of "Christmas Story" . . . he didn't say "fudge" but the granddaddy of them all, the Queen Mother of curse words . . .

And it all goes quiet . . . then my wife says quietly "We don't say that. Just genius".

Now, I think I'm flat busted. I think I've let something slip. I can be a car curser if I'm not careful. Of course, I always forget the kids are there in the back, when I'm giving other drivers remedial lessons on driving rules and etiquette . .

But then my wife says: "It's on that Jersey Boy's CD that mom and dad listen too . . . " with the boy over there all the time, I might add . . .

Coulda warned us there, wayne and bev that the Jersey Boys be dropping the F-Bomb . . .

Dodged that bullet . . . . I just wonder if I can blame my son repeating NWA lyrics on Granddad and Grandmom . . . .

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

You're so Money

In honor of TMoney's birthday:

"Swingin' Money" -Work gym has no pullup bar.

40 Rounds-20 minute cap.

3 50lb db swings
4 pushups
5 squats

34 rounds 3 swings, 4 pushups, 2 squats (finished out the 35 rounds though).

This should be done with pullups, but I made the best sub I could figure out.

That said: high points: no breaks in pushups or squats. In fact, the jump from pushup to squat was easy (yay burpees) and gave me the first squat for free.

The bad: I dislike using dumbells for swings, but what can you do. I could go faster. It was hard, but I think I was "pacing" myself too much. Argh.