Wednesday night's workout was:
30-20-10
Hang Power Cleans 95#
Pull-ups
My time was 15.44.
I was spent from the week and did not eat very well so my energy level was low. I just knew Mason was going to smoke me tonight. As we started the workout I felt tired, but I just kept looking at Mason and trying to keep pace with him. It was going to be tough since there were pull-ups in tonight's workout.
I just kept going and going and going. Before I knew it I was done and yelled TIME so Jen and Keith could write down my time. Much to my surprise Mason yelled TIME after I did. What??? Did I hear that correctly??? I beat him??? No way that could not be right. That was a really good feeling after having him smoke me the night before.
After we all cooled down we began to play with some of the toys in the gym. The one that I love the most is the Indo Board. This thing is so much fun. I can't get enough of it. Mason and I have gotten fairly good at it on our feet. Of course that's not good enough for me. I have to keep pushing the limits.
I thought to myself why not a handstand??? We all chuckled for a bit and then I went for it. Now this is not a normal handstand - YET. This was like the Yoga pose called the crow. I will be working toward a real handstand but for now I can be happy with the 5 seconds I was able to stay up in the crow pose.
Man this stuff is fun!!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
22,000 lbs in 22 minutes
I keep checking my math and I think it's right. 22,000 lbs in 22 minutes. If my calculations are right, that is how much weight I moved on Tuesday night at CrossFit Swift. It really is amazing when you think of it in those terms.
The workout for the night was:
5 rounds for time of - 10 deadlifts (250#) and 10 ring dips (I weigh 190#).
I was able to finish this in 22 minutes.
So if you look at it this way -
DL - 50 x 250lb = 12,500lb
Ring Dip - 50 x 190lb = 9,500lb
Grand Total of 22,000lbs
That is an amazing amount of work. I was quite slow if you compare me to Mason who did it in 15.50, but I did it and I finished it all with no modifications.
I am definitely getting stronger and this proves it.
The workout for the night was:
5 rounds for time of - 10 deadlifts (250#) and 10 ring dips (I weigh 190#).
I was able to finish this in 22 minutes.
So if you look at it this way -
DL - 50 x 250lb = 12,500lb
Ring Dip - 50 x 190lb = 9,500lb
Grand Total of 22,000lbs
That is an amazing amount of work. I was quite slow if you compare me to Mason who did it in 15.50, but I did it and I finished it all with no modifications.
I am definitely getting stronger and this proves it.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
BEAR Attack
Ok, somehow I survived the Bear attack at CrossFit Swift. The Bear is a benchmark CrossFit workout. It is all about strength and mental toughness. I have done this workout 3 times now and I keep getting better and better but it still beats me up. One thing about CrossFit is that it will test you as much mentally as physically. This is one of those workouts that prove it.
Here is what The Bear is:
Complete 7 reps of the following sequence
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press
Complete 5 rounds, increasing the weight each round to find your max. Rest as needed in between rounds.
You may not rest the bar on the ground - not even to regrip.
You may rest the bar on any part of your body.
As the morning began I did not feel very strong. Some days you just don't feel that great. Today was one of those days. I had already pushed myself quite a bit on Wednesday night when I maxed out my thrusters at 170lbs. Nedless to say my shoulders were somewhat tired from that workout.
I began my rounds with 95lbs on the bar. Then I went to 105lbs on round 2. I knew right away that this was going to be a struggle. Round 3 found me going up to 115lbs. This one was tough but I knew I had more in me. Round 4 was here. Time to go up again. 120lbs found it's way onto my bar. Now this was tough. I struggled and fought and sreamed and grunted and did whatever it took to get through all 7 reps without letting go of the bar or let it rest on the ground.
Now that was tough. The hardest part was trying to keep my hands wrapped around the bar. My forearms were burning and my fingers were weak. BUT I MADE IT!!! This was 5lbs more than I was able to do back in December when I did 115lbs on the last round but had to drop the bar on rep 3 of 7.
Now for the last round. The question of the day, do I do 120lbs again or do I go up to 125??? Well if you know me you know the answer to that question. Of course I went up to 125lbs. How else would I know my limits if I don't try to go past them.
Here we go. Rep one of 7. OUCH that is heavy and my hands are useless. Finished that one. Rep 2 of 7. Forearms are on fire and I can't feel my fingers. Finished that one. Rep 3 of 7. Breathing so heavy now, and shoulders are feeling very weak. Deadlift, done. Hang clean, done. Front squat, push press overhead lockout, DONE. Now for the hardest part. Controlling the bar down onto my back. This is where my grip failed me. I had to move out of the way and let the weights come crashing down behind me. That was it, I was done with only 2 full reps of 7 done on my last round.
The good news is that I had already done better than I did last time a few months ago. If I could have only had the hand and forearm strength to hold on to that bar I would have made it.
Mr Bear,
You beat me today, but next time I will be taking you down.
Here is what The Bear is:
Complete 7 reps of the following sequence
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press
Complete 5 rounds, increasing the weight each round to find your max. Rest as needed in between rounds.
You may not rest the bar on the ground - not even to regrip.
You may rest the bar on any part of your body.
As the morning began I did not feel very strong. Some days you just don't feel that great. Today was one of those days. I had already pushed myself quite a bit on Wednesday night when I maxed out my thrusters at 170lbs. Nedless to say my shoulders were somewhat tired from that workout.
I began my rounds with 95lbs on the bar. Then I went to 105lbs on round 2. I knew right away that this was going to be a struggle. Round 3 found me going up to 115lbs. This one was tough but I knew I had more in me. Round 4 was here. Time to go up again. 120lbs found it's way onto my bar. Now this was tough. I struggled and fought and sreamed and grunted and did whatever it took to get through all 7 reps without letting go of the bar or let it rest on the ground.
Now that was tough. The hardest part was trying to keep my hands wrapped around the bar. My forearms were burning and my fingers were weak. BUT I MADE IT!!! This was 5lbs more than I was able to do back in December when I did 115lbs on the last round but had to drop the bar on rep 3 of 7.
Now for the last round. The question of the day, do I do 120lbs again or do I go up to 125??? Well if you know me you know the answer to that question. Of course I went up to 125lbs. How else would I know my limits if I don't try to go past them.
Here we go. Rep one of 7. OUCH that is heavy and my hands are useless. Finished that one. Rep 2 of 7. Forearms are on fire and I can't feel my fingers. Finished that one. Rep 3 of 7. Breathing so heavy now, and shoulders are feeling very weak. Deadlift, done. Hang clean, done. Front squat, push press overhead lockout, DONE. Now for the hardest part. Controlling the bar down onto my back. This is where my grip failed me. I had to move out of the way and let the weights come crashing down behind me. That was it, I was done with only 2 full reps of 7 done on my last round.
The good news is that I had already done better than I did last time a few months ago. If I could have only had the hand and forearm strength to hold on to that bar I would have made it.
Mr Bear,
You beat me today, but next time I will be taking you down.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Day Off
With my schedule Thursday is the one day I don't CrossFit or play volleyball. Usually I just enjoy sitting around the house and doing NOTHING!
However today was a little different. One of my friends TJ, decided that he would give this CrossFit thing (as he calls it) a shot. Since he was heading over to CrossFit Swift I decided to go and be there to support him. The other cool thing was that my girlfriend Mai had decided to go too. She usually only gets to go on Saturdays with me.
I just love working out with her. Better yet I love watching her workout. = )
I was still going to take my day off from working out, but I was going to be there to support my friends and girlfriend as they worked hard.
Tonight's workout was one called ''Cindy''. It is only a 20 minute workout. In those 20 minutes you have to do as many rounds as possible of - 5 pullups - 10 pushups - 15 air squats (= 1 round). This workout is so much fun, tough, but fun. The last time I attempted this a few months ago I could only get 9 rounds. The elite CrossFitters can complete rounds in the upper 20s. My goal is to get to 15.
Since this was TJs first night at CrossFit he was only going to do a 1/2 Cindy. Which means he would only be going for 10 minutes instead of 20. One thing you should know about TJ is that he is about 6'8''. So he has a long way to pullup and to squat. Away he went. Before he knew it, time was up. 10 minutes had gone by and he completed 4 rounds. Now that may not seem like a lot but that means he did - 20 pullups - 40 pushups - 60 squats - in 10 minutes. GREAT JOB!!
He had so much fun that he said he would definitely be back next week.
As TJ was finishing up his 1/2 Cindy, Mai was still going strong. After all was said and done she completed 8 full unassisted rounds. That means in 20 minutes she completed - 40 pullups - 80 pushups - 120 squats. Now that's cool!! No wonder that girl turns my head all the time.
Friday night will be another volleyball night and then I can get back to CrossFitting on Saturday morning.
However today was a little different. One of my friends TJ, decided that he would give this CrossFit thing (as he calls it) a shot. Since he was heading over to CrossFit Swift I decided to go and be there to support him. The other cool thing was that my girlfriend Mai had decided to go too. She usually only gets to go on Saturdays with me.
I just love working out with her. Better yet I love watching her workout. = )
I was still going to take my day off from working out, but I was going to be there to support my friends and girlfriend as they worked hard.
Tonight's workout was one called ''Cindy''. It is only a 20 minute workout. In those 20 minutes you have to do as many rounds as possible of - 5 pullups - 10 pushups - 15 air squats (= 1 round). This workout is so much fun, tough, but fun. The last time I attempted this a few months ago I could only get 9 rounds. The elite CrossFitters can complete rounds in the upper 20s. My goal is to get to 15.
Since this was TJs first night at CrossFit he was only going to do a 1/2 Cindy. Which means he would only be going for 10 minutes instead of 20. One thing you should know about TJ is that he is about 6'8''. So he has a long way to pullup and to squat. Away he went. Before he knew it, time was up. 10 minutes had gone by and he completed 4 rounds. Now that may not seem like a lot but that means he did - 20 pullups - 40 pushups - 60 squats - in 10 minutes. GREAT JOB!!
He had so much fun that he said he would definitely be back next week.
As TJ was finishing up his 1/2 Cindy, Mai was still going strong. After all was said and done she completed 8 full unassisted rounds. That means in 20 minutes she completed - 40 pullups - 80 pushups - 120 squats. Now that's cool!! No wonder that girl turns my head all the time.
Friday night will be another volleyball night and then I can get back to CrossFitting on Saturday morning.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Thrusters
Short post tonight.
Tonight was a heavy night at CrossFit Swift.
The workout was thrusters 3-3-3-3-3. So of course Mason and I set up on the same bar. I just have to compete with someone and I prefer it to be someone better than me. That makes Mason the logical choice.
The first couple of rounds were surprisingly easy. We started at 135lbs then 145lbs then 155lbs. It was interesting watching Mason struggle with the front squat and then explode with the push press fairly easily. With me it was the exact opposite. The front squats were a piece of cake. Then I began to struggle with the push press.
On the 4th round we stepped up to 165lbs. I knew I was going to struggle with this one. Again the front squat was easy but then I had to press it overhead. I was able to get out 2 of the 3 reps but that was it. Now came the 5th round. Mason wanted to go up to 175lbs. Of course I had to at least try it. I knew it was a shot in the dark but what the heck. Down I went with the front squat - piece of cake - but there was no way that push press was going anywhere.
I backed it back down to 170lbs just to see if I could get one rep. Yes I did and it felt good and that is where I stopped.
Here are my numbers for the evening.
Thrusters
3-3-3-3-3
135-145-155-165(2)-170(1)
It was a good night and fun to watch everyone put up some big numbers.
Tonight was a heavy night at CrossFit Swift.
The workout was thrusters 3-3-3-3-3. So of course Mason and I set up on the same bar. I just have to compete with someone and I prefer it to be someone better than me. That makes Mason the logical choice.
The first couple of rounds were surprisingly easy. We started at 135lbs then 145lbs then 155lbs. It was interesting watching Mason struggle with the front squat and then explode with the push press fairly easily. With me it was the exact opposite. The front squats were a piece of cake. Then I began to struggle with the push press.
On the 4th round we stepped up to 165lbs. I knew I was going to struggle with this one. Again the front squat was easy but then I had to press it overhead. I was able to get out 2 of the 3 reps but that was it. Now came the 5th round. Mason wanted to go up to 175lbs. Of course I had to at least try it. I knew it was a shot in the dark but what the heck. Down I went with the front squat - piece of cake - but there was no way that push press was going anywhere.
I backed it back down to 170lbs just to see if I could get one rep. Yes I did and it felt good and that is where I stopped.
Here are my numbers for the evening.
Thrusters
3-3-3-3-3
135-145-155-165(2)-170(1)
It was a good night and fun to watch everyone put up some big numbers.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Row, Row , Row
Tonight was fun. Tonight's workout was short and sweet. I was still a bit wiped from Kelly the night before and my abs are sore from all the box jumps.
It was straight and to the point.
1000m Row
21 Deadlift (135#)
15 Pull ups
750m Row
18 Deadlift
12 Pull ups
500m Row
15 Deadlift
9 Pull ups
My time was 21.53.
Not too bad considering the effort I put out the night before.
The good news was that as slow as I felt I was right on Mason's heels. He finished with a time of 20.11. I know I was a bit slower on the rower than he was but man that was a lot of rowing.
I almost had him that time. Look out, I'm right behind you.
Tomorrow is a heavy night so that will be a lot of fun. Ok time to get to my pushups, I only have 30 left for the night.
It was straight and to the point.
1000m Row
21 Deadlift (135#)
15 Pull ups
750m Row
18 Deadlift
12 Pull ups
500m Row
15 Deadlift
9 Pull ups
My time was 21.53.
Not too bad considering the effort I put out the night before.
The good news was that as slow as I felt I was right on Mason's heels. He finished with a time of 20.11. I know I was a bit slower on the rower than he was but man that was a lot of rowing.
I almost had him that time. Look out, I'm right behind you.
Tomorrow is a heavy night so that will be a lot of fun. Ok time to get to my pushups, I only have 30 left for the night.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Kelly - The Beast
Tonight was my first day back from not CrossFitting for a week. I took a few days off since I was a little under the weather and I had to play a volleyball tournament on Saturday. I am still not at 100% but I could not sit at home one more day.
When I arrived at CrossFit Swift they had put up a workout called ''Kelly''. It was 5 rounds for time of 400m run or row - 30 wall balls - 30 box jumps. . . . . . . Really ???? 5 rounds ???? Wow was my chest beginning to tighten up just thinking about trying to breathe, as I was still congested.
Well ok here goes. And boy did it just keep going and going and going. The funny part was that it truly only seemed like it lasted about 20 minutes. Alas, that was not the case. As usual I had to push myself to do a little more than was required.
The box jumps were supposed to be 24''. However I bumped it up to 32''.
My time was 45.29 with a 400m row - 20lb wall ball and 32'' box jumps.
I was pretty steady with my pace trying to not take more than 30 sec - 1 min break when I needed to stop. It was brutal but I did it and would gladly do it again.
I am now wiped out and can barely type this, but nothing feels as good as completing something hard and being proud about it.
I am also happy to say that a friend of mine called tonight to tell me that he was on day 7 of the 50 day push-up challenge. Way to go Donald. I hope the whole family is doing it with you.
Ok time to crash since that is about all the energy I have left right now.
When I arrived at CrossFit Swift they had put up a workout called ''Kelly''. It was 5 rounds for time of 400m run or row - 30 wall balls - 30 box jumps. . . . . . . Really ???? 5 rounds ???? Wow was my chest beginning to tighten up just thinking about trying to breathe, as I was still congested.
Well ok here goes. And boy did it just keep going and going and going. The funny part was that it truly only seemed like it lasted about 20 minutes. Alas, that was not the case. As usual I had to push myself to do a little more than was required.
The box jumps were supposed to be 24''. However I bumped it up to 32''.
My time was 45.29 with a 400m row - 20lb wall ball and 32'' box jumps.
I was pretty steady with my pace trying to not take more than 30 sec - 1 min break when I needed to stop. It was brutal but I did it and would gladly do it again.
I am now wiped out and can barely type this, but nothing feels as good as completing something hard and being proud about it.
I am also happy to say that a friend of mine called tonight to tell me that he was on day 7 of the 50 day push-up challenge. Way to go Donald. I hope the whole family is doing it with you.
Ok time to crash since that is about all the energy I have left right now.
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