WOD 080629

Crossfit includes benchmark workouts -- affectionately known as the "girls" -- that are intended to measure your progress. The idea is that you periodically perform the girls and compare your results with the last time you performed the same workout. Today was my first girl... Lynne.

Lynne:

• 5 rounds for max reps of
• body weight bench press
• pull ups

This workout surprised me because up until this point we haven't done any bench pressing. In fact, I've picked up on a decidedly anti-benchpress vibe. The benchpress if often disparaged as non-functional and requiring special equipment.

Anyway, I was actually a little nervious to bench because the last time I benched I strained my left pec. Back in the good old days I was a big bencher and I would regularly perform sets on incline bench with 225-275. Those days are long gone.

Anyway, my workout:

• 5 rounds max reps:
• 1 mile run (8 mins)
  
• bodyweight bench press (185) 6/5/4/4/3
  
• dead-hang pull ups (no kipping) 11/8/6/7/6

I was disappointed by my rep count of bench and pullups but I'll take it. Without rest between sets and with no spotter I didn't really push things. My bench sets probably could have been 1-2 reps higher each but this will give me a nice starting point for the next time I meet Lynne in a dark alley. Even the fact that I'm critical of my bench performance after a multi-year layoff indicates how deep the benchpress mentality runs.

WOD 080628

Todays WOD For time:

• 45 Double-unders
• 135 pound Squat clean, 45 reps
• 45 Ring Dips
• 45 Double-unders

A double under is a jump rope technique where you pass the rope under your feet twice on a single bounce. It takes some coordination. You have to explode upward and hang in the air while simultaneously swinging the rope twice as fast.

The squat clean involves performing a standard clean into a front squat position and then performing a front squat with the weight.

Ring dips are just like regular dips on parallel bars except that the surface instability dramatically increases the difficulty. Crossfit says a single ring dip is equivalent to 3 parallel bar dips.

My scaled workout (did not keep time):

• ran 1 mile (7:30)
  
• 45 double unders
• 45 squat cleans 115 lbs
• 45 parallel bar dips
• 45 double unders
  

WOD 080627

When I saw todays WOD I worried about my right shoulder. Its been bothering me lately probably because I've been lifting heavier weights than I'm accustomed to and not warming up very well.

Today I jogged 1 mile and did some stretching and joint mobility (arm circles, bridges) for a warmup. My goal: to make it through the WOD without hurting my shoulder.

From www.crossfit.com:

3 rounds for time of:

• Run 800 meters
• 1.5 pood Kettlebell swing, 21 reps
• 95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
• 21 Pull-ups

I scaled this back and didnt keep time. My workout:

• Run 800 meters (4:30,3:14,4:16)
• 25 lbs plate swing (21/21/21)
• 95 lbs thruster (11/8/8)
• Chin ups (11/11/11)

My shoulder feels fine but I definitely tweaked my left biceps doing chinups instead of pullups. This concerns me because I tore my left bicep 2 years ago tackling in rugby. Oh well. Hopefully I wont have to tackle anyone this weekend.

In just two short workouts I will have completed 1 month of crossfit on my own!

Brian Urlachers Offseason Training Program

Stack magazine has a nice article about Brian Urlacher's offseason conditioning program. Its worth a read just for Urlachers stats.

http://magazine.stack.com/TheIssue/Article/1343/Brian_Urlachers_OffSeason_Training_Plan.aspx

WOD 080625

Todays WOD is called "Fight Gone Bad." Its supposed to emulate the cardivascular demands of an MMA fight. The workout is divided into 3 5 minutes rounds, and you can rest one minute between each round. Each round is subdivided into 5 one minute exercises as follows:

1) 20 lbs medicine ball wall throw (for height -- 10')
2) 75 lbs sumo deadlift high pull
3) 20" box jumps
4) 75 lbs push press
5) row machine for calories

source : http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#WOD1

I didnt have a row machine or 20 lbs medicine ball, so I scaled:

1) 10 lbs medicine ball wall throw (for height -- 10')
2) 75 lbs sumo deadlift high pull
3) 24" box jumps
4) 75 lbs push press
5) burpees

The workout was short but intense. I got plenty of stares in the gym at work from the curlys. (Those who curl between bouts of strutting around bragging about their boats.) Per crossfit, you should record total reps and calories for each round to benchmark improvement, but I just wanted to make it through the workout.

I'm not sure how well FGB mimics the demands of an MMA fight. I have many years of wrestling and judo experience, and some boxing and brazilian jiu jitsu, but the demands of those sports are much more anaroebic than FGB. Fighting movements are much more explosive, shorter than one minute, and generally involve bodyweight resistance at strange angles. Plus, FGB fails t introduce the physical and psychological effects of getting punched in the face. Next time I FGB I'll ask someone at the gym to punch me in the face during my exercises.

WOD 080624

Todays posted workout was 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 snatch. I'm not comfortable doing the snatch yet, so I decided to do the crossfit total that i skipped last week. The crossfit total is the sum of your heaviest lifts on the back squat, standing shoulder press, and deadlift, performed in that order. I hoped to hit 700, a realistic starting point for my program. Considering I haven't squatted with heavy weight since highschool and I've never performed heavy deadlift or standing shoulder press, 700 felt like an ambitious goal. My eventual goal is 1000.

I started with back squat. 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 245, 275, 295, 315, and 325. I probably could have gone a little heavier, but I was satisfied.

Standing shoulder press is tough, particularly with no leg movement or bounce. My progression ... 95, 115, 135, 145. I stopped at 145 because I had some trouble locking it out and didnt want to go higher without a spotter.

The workout ended with the deadlift. Most lifters deadlift more than they squat, but I wasnt comfortable going over 325. My progression... 135, 185, 225, 245, and i ended with 275.

summary:

backsquat 325
standing shoulder press 145
deadlift 275
total 745

So now my goal is to pack on another 255 lbs between these three exercises.

I also went to rugby practice and played some touch rugby with the Huns.

Fitness Goals

In my days as a competitive athlete I never set goals for working out. My goals were athletic performance and injury prevention. I no longer compete but I still exercise for fun and general fitness. However, without competition I have no measuring stick for my progress. So, inspired by the Crossfit games, here are my general fitness goals:

> Run 5K in < 20 mins
> 25 pull-ups in a single set
> 10 freestanding handstand pushups
> Crossfit total > 1000 (combined back squat, standing shoulder press, and deadlift)

I think these goals are attainable but challenging enough to motivate me to new fitness levels.

WOD 080623

My wife went to San Antonio this past weekend and left me in charge of the kids. Since I would be watching a 3 yr and 16 mo old I decided to forgo working out and dieting. It was good timing because I haven't been getting adequate recovery. The workouts are so intense that I'm still sore from exercises I did 10 days ago. Hopefully I'll adapt to the intensity -- if not the specific motions -- although the constant variation makes adaption unlikely.

Anyway, the Crossfit WOD for today was run 5K and post time. I completed 3 miles in 25:04, which is 8:22 per mile. Not great, but I interspersed long stretches of 6 min pace with > 9 min pace. Also, I spent the first 5 minutes running at a 10 min pace to warm up.

WOD 080620

The Crossfit WOD: In 20 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of 10 thrusters with 65Lbs and 10 pullups.

Due to equipment availability I scaled this workout to DB thrusters with 30lbs.

I completed 5 rounds in 20 minutes. The thrusters were no problem but I had a lot of trouble with the pullups and chinups. I'm amazed that so many crossfitters can knock out 10+ pullups set after set. The kipping must help, which I am not yet able to do.

Crossfit WOD 080617

Today I misread the workout and strayed pretty far. It called for 21 x 75 lbs but I did 95 to failure.

Ran 2.25 miles

7 sets standing shoulder press (95 lbs) -- 10/8/6/5/5/5/4
7x12 back extensions

2x12 DB shrugs (70 lbs)

Tommorow is a rest day thank goodness.

jacob