1 Week Later

and I am back. Sorry I was gone for so long, but Christmas and life will do that. Speaking of Christmas, this was probably the best one that I have had in recent memory. For the first time in a while everyone was just happy. My mom said that this was the first Christmas that she was actually looking forward to in quite some time, and I think it definitely exceeded expectations. I did some great training last week and am eager to hit our WOD's 5 days a week in the new year. Speaking of which here was the deal today:

Helen - with a 62lb Bell.

8:54 I should have gone much faster. Kipping pullups are killing me. I really need to be better at these. It really pisses me off that I am not faster at kipping. This is a workout that is made for me. On another note I did pretty well with the heavy ass bell. Felt good to stay strong during a workout that afterwards made me want to vomit everywhere.

Sorta Bear Complex

I don't really know what to call the workout we did today. After some warmups and skill review with Adrian, we did the following.

With one weight and without dropping the bar:
5 deadlifts
5 HPC
5 Push Press
5 Front Squat

95 - 105 - 115 - 125 - 135

I really wish I had jumped a little faster on this. I think I could have done 140. 145 might have been pretty tough. Fun workout though, and it was nice because there was no time component.

Last saturday we did a workout on the minute 3 135Lb powercleans and 3 weighted pullups (for me between no weight and 20 lbs. Like I have said before, I suck balls at weighted pullups.

Walk the walk and Zelen/Helercher

Wow. Simply wow. On Wednesday I pulled a double. First time doing it and it was simply awesome. Especially because the second workout may have been the best/funnest group camaraderie workout I have participated in. Here was the deal:

5 Person team - As a team you need to overhead walk (145lbs in our case) 4 laps to the fire hydrant and back. Only one person can carry at a time and everytime someone drops the bar the team has to do 10 burpees on the first lap, 8 on the second, 6 on the third and 4 on the last. We did exactly 5 rounds of five. My guess is we did about 150ish burpees. This was awesome due to the fact that I thought there was no way that I could walk 145 lbs over my head for more than 2 feet. I probably had my longest walk around 75 yards. Check the pic here.

Today we did a horrible zercher squat amalgamation. Basically it was helen with zerchers:

3 rounds
400 m run
21/15/9 zerchers at 135
12 dead hang pullups.

I did all zerchers unbroken. Mainly because I didn't want to put the damn bar down. Dead hang pullups suck, and I suck at them. This is a giant glaring weakness along with: strength, handstand pushups, and regular pushups. I am going to take a skill each month to try and improve. Deadhangs will be the first one to tackle.

Last Thoughts - I weigh more today than I have in probably 9 or 10 months. I actually think this is a good thing as I believe that most of the 5 lb weight gain has been muscle. I still need to make sure I am pushing the strength envelope, but in general I feel this has been an awesome week of PR's. We will see if I can make it to CF tomorrow morning after James' thing tonight.

Californian's are P%ssies

There I said it. We are freaking p&ssies. Why you ask? Because as soon as it gets to 50 degrees outside we scream bloody murder. I was walking around today where its probably 47-55ish degrees. Everyone is shivering. Like this is the coldest cold spell they have ever experienced. Unfortunately I am no exception.

I mean its like minus 4 in the midwest right now, and we are bitching and moaning because yesterday we had to put on our big jacket. Seriously, when are we as a state going to sack up??

Couple Thoughts

So yesterday in the freezing bitterly cold evening with Kstar, we did an interesting little experiment. Here was the Interval

5 pike pushups
3 Thrusters L/R (each arm with 50lb DB)
2 steps with a push press L/R with 50 lb DB (total 4 step ups.
Rest ~1 Minute

Slowest time 49 seconds, fastest time 33 seconds.

Basically we had to beat our own times each time. The penalty was ten burpees. I failed once, but then it was double or nothing on burpees in the last round. I think we did about 8 rounds. The test involved the fact that under pressure we can perform significantly more work (or in this case faster work) than we can not under pressure. This was a fun little test, even if I was freezing my balls off.

This morning we did the following:
With 50lb Dumbells
5 Deadlifts
5 HPC
5 Push Press
10 pullups
15 Box jumps
13:24

This was not fastest enough. I was totally held up by the pullups. This is completely unacepptable. I never let myself rest more than 5 seconds between exercises. Need to get this down to three seconds. Also, I needed to do the work completely unbroken. Next time.

Tonight is another fun WOD by Kelly. I think my plan is to destroy myself this week. Awesome!!

Dale Carnegie

As I all know (no "we" because I am probably the only person who reads this blog) I really enjoy my Dale Carnegie classes. This is the first time that I have been a graduate assistant, and its been great. Its actually quite a bit tougher than I originally thought it would be, but I have loved the challenge of getting up in front of the group more and more.

The difficulty that I have has been less in the speeches, but more in the various interlude things we do. This includes opening a class, preparing to lead groups, etc... I really want to be a DC instructor and the fastest way to get there is to get up in front of the class and become more natural. In the class last night I felt that I really did that. It was the first time I was comfortable. No flubs in the speech, but I do need to bring quite a bit more energy to the table. Next time....

Working out in the hail!!

Today it hailed. When I was crossfitting outside. I think that might be a first. It always amazes me just how many people show up to the 6am class even though its freezing outside (or hailing). Then again, I always end up showing up.

Workout - Ladder progression (i.e. 1st minute 1 rep, 2nd minute 2 reps - 15 minutes 15 reps).
Burpees and 50lb DB thrusters. If you can't finish then reset.

So I did up to round 6 (missing one of the thrusters) - then up to round 4 then up to round 5 again, missing the last two thrusters.

Total reps: 51 burpees, 47 thrusters.

This was absolutely brutal. First time doing 50 lb dumbell thrusters. That shit is significantly more difficult than the 45's. It requires way more stability. One thing I noticed is that I really need to work on midline stability. Its lacking and its going to flare up one of these days if I don't do anything about it.

Deeper Thoughts -

I am now in a period where I feel like I need to challenge myself on every occasion. I really enjoyed the fact that this was really difficult. Not from a lungs perspective, but from a strength perspective. I still need to focus more and more on strength, but hey this is definitely a start.

Jackie

Today was Jackie - 1000m row, 50 45lb barbell thrusters and 30 pullups - 8:33.

This was a great little workout. I had done this maybe 6 months ago with jumping pullups for about the same time. It was about when I first learned how to do pullups. Now that I am more than a year in it was good to get them all done. In my estimation I should be able to do this workout about a minute to a minute and a half faster. I could maybe take 10 seconds off the row and 20-30 seconds off the thrusters (btw did them without setting the bar down, but not unbroken). The pullups were the limiting factor. I came into pullups at about the 5:30 -6 minute mark and they took 2.5 minutes. Way to long. Next time I will get them in less than 2 minutes to bring my time in around 8 or less.

So I am skipping work today. Its not too often that I really skip work, so I am not sure how I feel about it. I am still not sure what I am looking for in a career right now, but either way, I feel that I need to decide if I am sticking it out with my job. The trouble seems to be that I don't really have anything else lined up. Lucky for me I always seem to be able to pull something through exactly when I need it.

On another note, I was having a discussion with a fellow Dale Carnegie participant this last week. I realized a couple things during that discussion. First, I realized that I am really missing a challenge in my professional life right now. I think that is part of the reason that I am embarking on this journey to be a speaker for Dale Carnegie. I really want to teach, and I feel that this is a good outlet for that. On top of that I realized just what I love about Crossfit. Its a challenge!! A real honest to goodness challenge. I need that in my life to continue my own personal growth. Its good to know this, now what to do with it....

McFlurry and other thoughts

So yesterday I did Mcflurry. Its a workout for a guy named Miguel Flores, a crossfitter from the San Diego area. Miguel passed away on Monday from a car accident. From everything I have heard, he is a wonderful guy.

The story of Miguel and the tributes that have gone out to him make me think of my own legacy. Everyone that has known him has said that he was a tremendous crossfitter, but an even better person. This makes me wonder if people will think the same of me. I love the people in my life, work, and in other random facets. The one thing I want is to be remembered for being a great person. As people we have to constantly work to better ourselves. Although we may excel in one area of our lives, we may be underperforming in others.

This is the way I feel in my job right now. I am underperforming. Can I get back to where I was? That is difficult to say. But I know that I have to give my all in all areas of my life if I truly want to be remembered as someone that was loved by many people. Does this sound selfish? Yes, I think it does. However, I want to be known for treating all people as well as I can treat them. This is definitely a learning experience for someone who has been as self-centered as I have been during my life. This is a bit of a tangent, but I feel that it is necessary self reflection. There may not be a next time, so you better do the best you can now.

Been a bit

So I have missed a few days. Last Thursday we did a team workout. It was row 250m, do as many 135lb C+J. I did 18 of the C+J's, which I was very proud of. Total of 15 minutes time.

On Saturday we did FGB - Score 307 - I was totally stoked with this score. My guess was that it was in the top 5 of scores.

Today we did deadlifts. I haven't heavy deadlifted in quite some time.

WU - 45lbx5 - 135X5 - 175x5
Sets - 225x5 - 245x5 - 255x5- 265x5 - 275x2

Awesome and so stoked about the fact that I did 5 times my previous 1RM.

Overhead Squats and Push Presses

On Tuesday (I missed Monday, didn't sleep so hot after the drinkfest at Bernard's place) Kevin was teaching and we did OH squats and weighted pushups. I can't remember my rounds but they weren't as good as I thought.

Today it was 3 rounds for time of 15 push presses (105 lbs), 20 air squats, hydrant run. Time 9:02. I didn't feel too bad about this. I was destroyed by the Push Presses on the last set. Everything else I was burning through, but either way I liked this. Looking forward to tomorrow's morning WOD.

So on Sunday night I was supposed to go see Juliet and the new kiddy but they ended up inviting me over for dinner at Bernard and Pam's house. Sooooooo awesome. We had Fred's Steak, which was absolutely amazing. I am actually going to make this for some friends of mine tomorrow for dinner. So excited.

Nick

What the Hell was I thinking

Ok so I came to Crossfit for my fourth day in a row. What the hell was I thinking? Boz was out of town, so Angel was there to give us a torturous workout.

5 rounds of
15 power snatch
9 burpee box jumps

17:38

Couple of things here. I was snatching 75lbs. Probably could have done more, but we don't do this movement that often and I would rather be safe than sorry. On top of that it was my fourth straight day. I have never been more bruised in my life. My legs are black and blue from mid-shin to upper thigh. This week was killer with 135lb power cleans on Tuesday, deadlifts yesterday and snatches today, my legs are absolutely black and blue. I am soooooo ready to take a few days off. I know that my body needs it.

Secondly, I have been having this conversation with myself about why I am doing crossfit (at least at this intensity). I think I found the reason in the bathroom a few days ago. I walk into a public restroom and see this old man. He is not homeless, but he is about my size and build. He has a cane, is permanently hunched over, and one of his eye's is bloodshot. I have no idea what happened to this man during his life. However, I know that I want to do everything in my power to not be where he is when I am his age.

The Chief!!! and some deadlifting

So last night was the Chief!! with KStar:

5 rounds of 3 minutes each with a 1 minute rest:

3 135lb cleans
6 Pushups
9 Squats

3.3, 3, 3, 3, 3

This was fun but tough. Seeing how this is the first time I have done that many 135 lb power cleans I was pretty stoked.

This morning was

3 rounds of Hydrant Run
12 185lb Deadlifts
21 box jumps
-10:52

This was a pretty killer follow up to yesterday, but also fun.

I am still beginning to wonder about this transition I am making. At what point do I really need this much fitness? As I continue to push myself and these workouts get harder and harder, what is this really doing for me personally? Is this the chance to tackle difficult things that I have never done before? If that's the case, should I maybe be climbing instead? Or hiking half dome? Or is this me making sure if I get into some crazy situation I have the fitness I need to do whatever it is I am going to do. If that is the case, what is it that is actually going to happen? And will me being able to do 50 155lb C+J in a workout really mean the difference between life and death? It kinda reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where he is on a plane and he is demonstrating how reclining is death, and normal is life....Although, I recently found out that the reclining is death to the person behind you, because they might not be able to get out.

Anyway I am just babbling now. Thanks for listening internet.

Finally

Finally, I am posting again. I am going to be a little more religious, because I know that I have been slacking for the last month or so. Anyway, the program today was as follows:

Coach: Boz
WOD: 15 minutes - fence run, 15 Box jumps, 15 kb swings amrap

I think I did six plus a run, I know that I was one set behind Eric, he said he did 8, so in that case I did 7. Doesn't matter, it was alot, and it was with the infinitely heavier 62lb KB. That thing was much much harder than a 52er. Boz was on me to only rest for three seconds. This has been my biggest problem, too much rest.

This is actually an interesting time in my own personal crossfit development. I have gotten to the point where I should be increasing weight to get to the as rx weights, but I should also be moving into more of the hardcore non rest status. I am definitely still loving crossfit and everything that it is about, but I don't know if I want to be any more 'hardcore' than I already am. I come five days a week, always give it everything I have, eat well and enjoy the people. If I eek out that extra bit of time on a daily basis is it really going to make me any happier. Maybe from the standpoint that I actually did give every little ounce that I had.

I guess I will find out over the next two months.

I love Dumbells!!

Coach Kstar - 8/22/08

21 - 15 - 9

50 lb DB Push Presses
Burpees
Fence run

Time - 12:30ish.

I was stoked because those are the heaviest DB's I have ever used. I was pissed because I didn't get to use the bar. That's ok, I can only keep getting stronger. BTW Meghan did great!! she beat my time. I am stoked though as I am finally moving today.

Grace Partitioned

Coach Boz - 8/20/08

I believe that this is "lets come up with ways to make sucky workouts suck more in a new and inventive way.

10 Cleans (115lbs)
10 burpees
10 jerks
10 burpees
10 C+J
10 burpees
10 jerks
10 burpees
10 cleans

- 13:55 - and then I wanted to pass out.

After we did some hollow rocks. Although I have lost some weight from the trip, it appears I have also lost some midline strength too. That blows.

Jack Sucks Balls

8/19/08

Coach - Hairy Kstar

Jack - (i.e. Jackie in a manly way)

Row uphill 500 meters (use 45lb plate for the incline) and downhill 500 meters
50 45lb bar clusters (cleans into thrusters)
30 deadhang pullups

13:40 ish

This sucked I am sorry. Welcome back to crossfit.

The Return to Crossfit 8/18/08

Coach Boz - WOD

With 2 people - Run to Hydrant - 30 KB swings and as many Box jumps you can do as the other person KB swings - 2 rounds total (so 60 KB swings and 4 runs). Score with most box jumps and time.

Time - 10 something (second group finished) 80 Box jumps (2nd most completed). We won.

After 30 seconds of hollow rock while the other person does K2E. About 27 total between me and Elliot.

Grand Canyon

I just got back from my two week vacay in the Grand Canyon. It was definitely the most beautiful place I have ever been, and by far the greatest vacation that I have ever taken. I really cannot say enough about it. I will post some pics tonight when I get home.

WOD - Row paddle boats for 5 hours a day for two weeks. Go on about 10 hikes in 90-100 degree weather.

Fran

8/2/08 - Fran - 7:38

Pushing Lunges

8/1/08 - Coach Boz

Kstar was away because Jstar had to go to the hospital. I hope that she is doing ok. Anyway - the wod was:

5 rounds of
10 OH lunges Right then 10 Left - 45lbs overhead
15 pushups
Fence Run
Time - 12:43

This was really good. The weight was right and I snatched all of the weights up there before the OH lunges. Afterwards I tried to make up the squats from the previous day. It didn't go so well.

Warmup - 95x10, then 135x5 175x5f - Failed the 4th rep and gave up. I was done.

Workout 7/30/08 and 7/29/08

7/30/08 - Coach Boz

WOD - 15 Push Jerks (40 lb dumbbells)
Hydrant Run

5 rounds for time

Took me 13:42. This was a great workout, except I need the strength work and should have been using the bar. Plus, I probably could have done more weight, except there was no more to do.

7/29/08 - Coach Kstar

Crossfit Olympics -

2 minutes of 45lb jumping squats - 62
4 minutes of Cindy - 5 rounds, 5 pullups, 6 pushups
Row 500M - 1:41
Run 700M - Came in dead in the middle.

This sucked balls. I was dying especially after the row which always just wipes me out. It was a lot of fun though.

Day One

So a couple months back I started crossfit and because of it I have made quite a few changes in my life. I have really slowed down on drinking and going out, have worked out 5 days a week for the last three months, lost 20 lbs, went on the zone diet, and in general have been a much happier person.

This blog isn't going to be just about Crossfit though, I am going to use it to talk about diet, work and working out. I am also going to use it to track my progress in all three areas.