WOD 12.28.08

Back Squats
275x5, 295x5, 310x5, 315x1F

Still a little pain in my lower back from a bench press mishap on Friday, arched too much trying to squeeze out another rep. Felt ok getting to within 5lbs of my max, but 315 didn't feel right. Shut it down after that.

Accessory WOD:
Score the lowest number of reps completed at each station
4 Rounds of :30 on :30 off at the following stations:
Box Jumps, 20": 20 reps
Sit-up/Wall Ball complex, 14lb ball: 10 reps
Foot Speed drill, 10" box: 22 reps
Kettlebell Swings, 16kg: 16 reps

WOD 12.26.08 Lynne

Worked out at Crossfit the Rock out on LI. We did Lynne.

5 Rounds:
Max reps of BW Bench (170lbs)/Pull-ups
R1 25/42
R2 17/25
R3 16/26
R4 10/22
R5 6/20

Tore my hands up pretty bad on round 2. The bench felt harder than the last time I did this, and the pull-ups were a pain the ass as my hands got worse and worse. But the 42 pull-ups the first round is a new PR for me, so it makes all the other crap worth it.

WOD 12.22.08

Vacation WOD #2

4 Rounds
Beach Run (~200m I think)
25 Pushups
25 Squats

Squats were harder than I would have thought on the sand, I kept pitching forward on to my toes. My niece kept asking "Why Unca Jeomy running fast." Apparently crossfit is no easier to explain to a 2 year old than anybody else.

WOD 12.21.08

First Vacation WOD (I promised myself I would do 3 while I'm here)
3 Rounds
10 Hand Stand Pushups
10 Pistols
10 Strict Pullups (can't kip on this bar)

No time because I forgot my watch.

WOD 12.17.08

Split Jerks

Started off with some triples @ 135, 155, and 175
Then Singles @ 185, 205, 225, 235, 245F

235 matched my previous PR, didn't have much left for 245, next time...

Accessory Work:
Weighted Step Ups 3x8 with 40lb dumbbells
Turkish Get-Up Sit-Ups 3x15 with 4lb dumbell

Step ups weren't too bad. TGU sit-ups got harder towards then end of each set, it was a fair amount of reps.

WOD 12.15.08

The deadlift/burpee workout from the Crossfit Games. I'd been wanting another crack at this one, be careful what you wish for I guess.

5 Rounds
5 Deadlifts 275lbs
10 Burpees
Time 2:59

My time at the Games was 3:17, so this was a sizable PR, but this workout destroyed me. I'm still feeling it 2 hours later.

WOD 12.14.08

Assortment of heavy lifting today

Press
135x3, 155x3, 160x3, 165x3, 170x3

Deadlift
Worked up to 410x2
Followed by speed sets with 90sec recovery
331.5x3x8

Accessory work:
Upright DB Pulls 3x8 with 40lb dumbbells
Scapular flies 3x12 with 5lb plates

WOD 12.13.08

Three rounds of:
24" Box jump, 50 reps
185 pound Deadlift, 21 reps
30 Pull-ups1
Time 15:27

The 50 box jumps each round was a little bit of a mind fuck just because it was a high number. Otherwise it wasn't such a bad WOD.

WOD 12.11.08 Nasty Girls

"Nasty Girls"
3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
7 Muscle-ups
135 pound Hang power cleans, 10 reps
Time 9:36

Muscle ups felt so much better this workout. Did the first two rounds unbroken then did them as quick singles the third. The Goat Wods have definitely helped my muscle ups, to bad double unders are still a work in progress.

The video of this workout being done by Eva, Annie and Nicole (3 of the head trainers from Santa Cruz) is a classic.

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/051204.wmv (windows)

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/051204.mov (mac)

WOD 12.10.08

Back Squat 5x5
275x5, 295x5, 305x5, 310x5, 315x5

Squats felt good today, was able to get nice tight setups under the bar, good drive out of the hole, and really it's just good to have my confidence back when lifting heavy.

Accessory work was Ring Rows
BWx3x8

WOD 12.08.08

Clean and Jerk, heavy singles.
135, 155, 185, 205, 210, 215(PR), 220F, 220F

The first failure at 220 I didn't get my elbows around fast enough, the second I successfully cleaned, but I failed on the jerk. I was getting away with sloppy jerks all night, this one finally caught up to me. The bright spot was that 220 is the most weight I have ever cleaned. The knee re-bend and the third pull felt so much smoother tonight. Really had fun lifting.

WOD 12.07.08

Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
15 Pull-ups
15 Ring push-ups
15 Deadlifts 95lbs
15 Sit-ups

I finished 8 rounds + 15 pull-ups and 13 ring push-ups. Tore my hands up on the 6th set of pull-ups. Tough workout.

WOD 12.06.08

Mid Hang Power Cleans
135x2, 155x2, 175x2, 185x2, 185x2, 185x2

Accessory Workout
4 Rounds of:
25 Double Unders
25 Sit-ups
Time 8:18

Had trouble stringing together the double-unders.

WOD 12.04.08

Deadlift Work:
Work up to a heavy double.
382x2
Then Speed sets with 90 seconds recovery between sets
306x3x8

Five rounds for time of:
53lb Kettlebell, walking lunge, 1o alternating steps
53lb Kettlebell swings 15 reps
Time 4:31

Accessory work was 3 rounds of 500m row and L-sits
Rows - 1:55, 1:53, 1:50
L-sits - :33, :27, :33

Rows were decent intensity with an emphasis on trying to correct the myriad flaws in my form, L-sits were tough, my legs and core were pretty much fried from the WOD and the rowing.

WOD 12.03.08 Fran

A benchmark workout today, some people consider it the benchmark workout.

"Fran"
Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95 pound Thruster
Pull-ups

3:57 as RX'd (PR by 40 seconds)

Did all the pull-ups and the first 21 thrusters unbroken, second round was like 8 and 7, and the last was 5 and 4. A little better than the last time when I did 5 -5-5 for the second round. Once again if I want to improve, that's the round I need to attack better.

WOF 12.01.08

Heavy Presses for singles

Press
155, 175, 185, 190, 195F, 195F, 192F

Just couldn't get anything over 190 past eye level.

Accessory work was 3 rounds of Windmills and Lsit/Ring supports
30lb windmills x 15
Lsit/Ringsupport: 1:08, 1:06: 0:40

Goat Wod
3 Rounds:
25 double-unders
5 Muscle ups
Time 7:12

Had a chance to go sub 6 with that one, for whatever reason I lost my kip and the last muscle up just wouldn't come. I was stringing some double-unders together at a decent clip though.

WOD 11.30.08 Tabata Something Else

"Tabata Something Else"
Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

Pull-ups: 100
Push-ups: 99
Sit-ups: 91
Squats: 145
Total Reps: 435

Push-ups were harder than I remembered, might have had a few more if I didn't go hog wild the first round. Last set of squats kicked my ass, my quads were shot, I had to crawl for a few minutes after that.

WOD 11.29.08

Deadlifts 3x5

345x3, 395x3, 425x3, 445x3

Cut it off after 4 rounds as my form went to shit. Did a few more strict pulls light. My back feels a little wonky (probably from that last pull), still it felt good to be lifting something close to what I was capable of before my slow lifts crashed and burned.

Accessory work was some turkish get-ups for doubles.
1 1/2 pood (53lb) kettlebell x2
2 pood (72lb) kettlebell x2
75lb barbell x 2

WOD 11.26.08 Lynne

Lynne came up again, I did it at my bodyweight,170lbs, now that we have a scale at the gym. Got a few more reps on the bench and a bunch more pull-ups than last time.

Lynne
5 Rounds for max reps of
Bodyweight (170lb) bench press ()
Pull-ups

R1 27/40
R2 17/22
R3 12/29
R4 12/26
R5 11/26

Slipped off the bar on that 2nd round of pull-ups, otherwise it felt pretty solid.

WOD 11.24.08

Warmed up with some tall clean drills then on to the workout.

Overhead Squats 3x5
135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 185x3, 195x2

Lost the balance on the last one, bar pitched a forward, on the previous rep I felt myself coming onto my toes a bit.

Accessory work was strict pull-ups. Kipping is a hard habit to break but strict pull-ups do have their place.

Pullups (all done chest to bar)
BWx12
BW+10lbsx12
BW+15lbsx12

WOD 11.23.08

Weird little workout today.

Three rounds for time of:
21 Knees to elbows
1 1/2 pood (24kg/53lb) Kettlebell swing, 21 reps
21 Push-ups
15 foot Rope climb, 3 ascents
20 inch Box jump, 21 reps
21 Romanian Deadlifts with 30lb dumbbells
Walking lunge, 150 ft

Time 24:19

Hardest part was waiting for the grip to recover on the rope climbs and then having your hands and forearms be fatigued for the kettlebell swings and holding onto the bar on the KTE's. Everything else was short enough that fatigue wasn't much of a factor.

WOD 11.22.08

Clean & Jerk 1x7
135, 155, 175, 185, 205, 210F, 185, 205F, 205, 210 (PR)

Starting to get the hang of the third pull down, need to get faster at getting underneath the damn bar. Yoon stopped by to lift today and I was lucky enough to be paired up with him. He's got a wealth of knowledge on the O lifts and helped me out a great deal today.

Goat WOD
3 Rounds
25 Double Unders
5 Muscle Ups
6:16 (about 1:30 faster than last week)

Starting to get better at being able to string DU's together still alot of missed jumps though.

WOD 11.20.08

4 Rounds for time of:
10 Dumbbell Clean Box Jumps (30lb dumbbells)
20 Double Unders
30 Two arm Dumbbell Swings (30lb dumbbells)

Time: 21:30

This was my first WOD with Double Unders that I have done as RX'd, mostly single-double-single style but I was able to chain some together. My lower back hated me for a little while after this one was over.

WOD 11.19.08 The Bear

Today we did a Bear complex, which is a series of movements done with a barbell for a set of repetitions. The goal is to find the most weight at which you can successfully complete the series, without putting the bar down.

The Bear"
5 Rounds of
7 sets of the sequence:
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press

R1: 95
R2: 115
R3: 135
R4: 145x4
R5: 145x4

Grip was the limiting factor, just couldn't control the damn bar after the 4th set on the last two rounds.

WOD 11.17.08 Hellerg

The mainsite WOD was Helen, but it is cold and dark outside and dodging traffic for the 400m runs sounded like a bad idea so we did Helerg, with 400m rows substituting for the runs.

"Helerg"
Three rounds for time:
Row 400 meters
1 1/2 pood (35kg/53lb) Kettlebell X 21 swings
12 Pull-ups

Time 8:49

I broke things up as follows (times and reps)
Rows were 1:18, 1:34, 1:31
KB: 21, 21, 8/7/6
Pull-ups: 12,12,12

The kettlebell slipped on the last round which led to my first break and I let that get to my head so I punked out and took that second break. Otherwise I felt it went really well, moving between stations was about all the rest I needed, I'd like to attack the row more next time. Still need work on my technique but thankfully 400m is short enough to bull through.

WOD 11.16.08

4 Rounds For time of
225lb Deadlift, 10 reps
40 lb Dumbbell Thruster, 10 reps
Time 6:12

Accessory work was a ring support ladder, this time I worked up to 50 sec, a PR by 10 secs.

Really great time hanging and chatting with the guys and our guests from the Black Box and Jas from Australia.

WOD 11.15.08

Back Squat 5x5

225x5, 275x5, 295x5, 305x5, 310x5

Accessory Work
3 Rounds (not for time)
12 Hanging Straight leg raises (toes to bar)
15 Overhead Sit-ups (20lb dumbbells)
18 Box Jumps (36", 32" one leg, 40")

Felt good to get some solid work under a heavy bar, I feel like my problems lately have had to do with a lack of confidence as much as the physical side. Had a few bad lifting sessions when I was feeling rundown and beat up and I think that really screwed me up moving forward. Today was a good step in getting over that, in other words I just need to stop being a pussy and lift the fucking bar.

WOD 11.13.08 Jason

"Jason"
For time:
100 Squats
5 Muscle-ups
75 Squats
10 Muscle-ups
50 Squats
15 Muscle-ups
25 Squats
20 Muscle-ups

Time 21:02

S01 (SEAL) Jason Dale Lewis was killed by an IED while conducting combat operations in Southern Baghdad July 6, 2007. We name this workout "Jason" in honor of his life, family, and courage.

Last couple muscle-ups were a struggle. In particular the last one was a cast iron bitch, failed on it like 3 times before I finally stuck it. Need to get my kip more efficient and stop trying to force it, that only works for so long.

Stayed after to watch and help a bit with the Foundations class. I really enjoy watching the way David breaks down movements and makes corrections, I feel like I learn alot both as an athelete and maybe to one day doing some training of my own.

WOD 11.12.08

Warmed up with Double-under practice was able to start stringing a couple together for the first time, I think I hit about 5 in a row.

Power Cleans 1x7
185, 185, 185, 205, 215F, 185, 205, 215F

Couldn't nail 215, which was frustrating, just wasn't getting under the damn bar.

Afterwords some timed L sits for 52 and 44 seconds

WOD 11.10.08

Wacky but tough workout today:

Five rounds for time of:
25 Inverted Burpees
25 Pull-ups
25 Burpees

Time 30:40
Inverted burpees are basically a roll into a handstand, they were fairly easy, basically active recovery. Workout beat me up but I felt alright a few minutes later.

WOD 11.9.08

Went in early to see Gillian do a kick ass Diane variant complete with handstand walks and a tumbling routine. Gillian is a fantastic athlete (3rd at the Games) with sick gymnastic skills.

Push Press 3x5
185x3, 200x3, 210x1, 205x3, 210x2

Should have got the 210s, could be I'm still sore from Lynne.

Accessory work of ring dips and hip extensions.
Ring Dips: 31 ,21, 11
Hip Extensions 3x15

Then finished off with a workout we did a few months ago consisting of body weight (177lbs) deadlifts and push-ups, done in a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rep scheme. Finished in 2:36, last time it was 3:10.

WOD 11.8.08

Heavy Front Squats

Front Squats 2x5:
185x2, 225x2, 235x2, 255x2, 260x2 (PR)

Accessory Work:
3 rounds
L-Sit Hold 30 seconds
Dumbbell RDL 15 reps, 40lb dbls

Goat WOD
3 Rounds
25 Double-Unders
5 Muscle Ups
Time 7:43

Front Squats felt good, worked on staying tighter through the core. First time I've ever put a clock on that Goat WOD, definitely much room for improvement.

WOD 11.6.08 Lynne

Lynne, 5 rounds of max reps body weight (177#) bench press followed immediately by max pull-ups. Rest as needed between rounds (meaning after you have finished both exercises).

Compare to 9.1.08

Bench reps/Pull-ups
R1: 23/39
R2: 15/26
R3: 11/22
R4: 10/24
R5: 9/11

Lost the bar on the last set of pull-ups as I felt my calluses ripping free, feel like i could have hit 20+ again.

Finished with 4 less Bench reps than last time but with 30 more pull-ups even with the shortened last round.

WOD 11.5.08

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Pull-ups
65lbs Thruster, 10 reps

14 rounds + 10 thrusters

Started off very fast, slowed up more and more as the workout went on.

Accessory work was a timed ring supports ladder. Starting at 5 seconds and adding 5 per interval. Rest period was your partner doing the his interval. Got up to 35 seconds, I was still pretty fried from the workout.

WOD 11.03.08

This one was right up my alley.

21-15-9 reps of:
Deadlift, 225lbs
Pull-ups

Time 3:24

Only limiting factor was grip. Went through the first 21 deadlifts, 21 pull-ups and 6 deadlifts before I had to take a break. I felt like if I had a better grip capacity I could have done it all unbroken, really wasn't that out of breath at the end.

Accessory work was 3 untimed rounds of:
30 Reverse walking lunges 25lb dumbbells
1:30 Lateral plank each side
Carry the dumbbells suitcase style for round 1, front squat rack for round 2 and overhead for round 3.

In some ways this was harder than the workout. Especially the side planks were there is no way tho geth through it faster by pushing harder, you just have to bear it until the clock runs out.

WOD 11.02.08

Heavy single thrusters.

Thrusters
185, 205, 215F, 215, 220, 225F

Tied my PR at 220 but 225 still eludes me.

Accessory work
3 Rounds
30 sit-ups
15 knees-to-elbows

Untimed, finished fairly quick, tough on the abs.

Began my post workout carb consumption today, 5 protein, 8 carb, and 3 fat blocks immediatly after finishing. Only 48 more fat blocks to go today.

Nutrition Certification

Saturday was the Nutrition Certification at CFSBK. Robb Wolf, from Crossfit Norcal, took us through the Paleo diet, the Zone and all its myriad tweaks, and Intermittent Fasting. The Zone part interested me the most as I had been trying to tweak mine and really wanted to get his input. After discussing it with Rob I am moving to a 3x fat diet with 50% of my carbs being eaten within 30hr of my workout. I have been doinf 2x fat for the last week and have felt like I have started to recover a little better. On the Paleo front, giving up dairy isn't something I'm gonna tackle right now, but I have increased the quality of my produce and it is time I did the same with my meats. IF sounds cool, but having played with it before it isn't something I'd be much interested in doing more than once or twice a week. I am a creature of habit and while I am pretty good about sticking to my diet programs, IF forces me to think too much about when I'm supposed to be eating. I don't like to think about food, just measure it, cook it and shovel it in. Robb and Nicki are awesome, they are part of the old school crossfit crew (Norcal is the 4th affiliate) and even beyond talking about training and nutrition, they are just really awesome down to earth people.

WOD 10.30.08

Today was one of those descending/ascending progressions. With a 95lb barbell and a 20lb medicine ball do the following:

21 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 95/65
1 Wall Ball 20/14
18 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
3 Wall Balls
15 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
6 Wall Balls
12 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
9 Wall Balls
9 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
12 Wall Balls
6 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
15 Wall Balls
3 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
18 Wall Balls
1 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
21 Wall Balls

Time 13:28

SDHP's were easy, I am awful at wall balls. Another goat to work on I suppose. Super psyched about this weekend's nutrition cert.

WOD 10.29.09

This is a pressing workout that comes up a few times year, as well as being a good chance to work the technique of the three presses (especially the latter two), it gives you a good idea of the relationship in power potential between them.

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Press: 135, 155, 175, 185, 190
Push Press: 190x3, 195x3, 200x3, 205x3, 210x3
Push Jerk: 190x5, 195x5, 195x5, 200x4, 135x5

Wasn't quite nailing the form on the push jerks, lowered the weight significantly after the miss just to get a better feel for some perfect reps with a little weight.

WOD 10.27.08

Weighted Pullups 3x5
70x3, 80x3, 90x2, 85x3, 90x2

Couldn't quite get the last rep at 90lbs. This was a nice unloading workout after doing a brutal Elizabeth yesterday.

Accessory work was a lot of unweighted split jerk technique work. Still getting comfortable with this movement. Doing it with my left foot forward is pretty solid, with the right forward is shaky.

WOD 10.26.08 Elizabeth

"Elizabeth"
21-15-9 reps of:
Squat Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips
Time 10:48

Did this workout with power cleans before, much faster that way, but the RX'd is for full squat cleans, so squat cleans it is. Ring Dips are easy, once you get the kip down it's almost active recovery. This is one tough ass workout.

WOD 10.25.08 CFT

Blah

Did a Crossfit Total today. Trainwreck.

Squat 345F, 345F, 345F
Press 185, 190F
DL: 455, 475, 500F

No lift on the squat, the press I can accept, and another failure at 500 on the dead. Something is wrong with my lifting. I feel out of sorts, I have no confidence on the bar, and I am failing on lifts that use to be safe openers for me. I have tried time off, I have increased my fat intake, I am getting a little frustrated.

I plan on discussing it with Rob Wolf next weekend at our Nutrition Seminar and I also am going to institute some sort of lifting program, whether it be supplemental or a primary component.

WOD 10.23.08

Heavy deadlifts today, 5 sets of 3 reps

405x3, 415x3, 415x3, 425x3, 435x2

Didn't reset properly on the last one. Wasn't feeling the pulls today, only the 4th set felt smooth.

Accessory Work
Ring Rows 3x8
Lateral plank 3x1:15

Then I did some goat work:
3 rounds of
25 double-unders and 5 muscle-ups.

Didn't put a timer too it, but I wanted to practice the technique under a bit of metabolic stress. I am getting a decent rhythm with the double, single, single, double, and my kip is getting better on the MU's. David was explaining something about turning my wrists out but it didn't make sense during the mini-wod. Something to work on Saturday.

WOD 10.22.08

This one was from the main site a few days ago.

Ten rounds for time of:
12 Burpees
12 Pull-ups

Time 14:28

Pull-ups were pretty much unbroken, the burpees got bad fairly quickly.

Afterwards Dave and I took a trip down to Guerrilla Fitness in Montclair to return the medballs they lent us for the Level 1 cert. Real cool box. They are hosting their own Level 1 the weekend of November 15/16th. Sign up if you haven't been to a Level 1.

D-FENCE

The Case Against CrossFit Charles Poliquin

Regarding Poliquin's article.

It seems like his main concerns are the oft repeated lack of testing, proper coaching, focus on form, etc. It's pretty much the main point of every Crossfit basher. If you step back and look at what they are saying, it seems that what they are really complaining about is shitty coaching. I am sure there are some shitty coaches in Crossfit, I haven't worked with any of them yet (thankfully) but I am certain they are out there. Find me a training protocol or athletic endeavor where this isn't true. In my own experience I have worked with shitty Track coaches, shitty Wrestling coaches, and shitty Strength and Conditioning coaches. It didn't invalidate those training methodologies as a whole, and it certainly didn't make me hesitate to work with a good coach in those areas (just the opposite actually).
The related complaint that anyone who pays the fee is now a Lvl 1 certified trainer, is one that I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about. I do think the terminology should be changed from certified trainer to certified Crossfiter, however that doesn't invalidate the idea behind the Lvl 1. Crossfit puts out 270+ workouts a year, many of which contain movements and exercises unfamiliar to someone new to crossfit and/or fitness in general. The Level 1 allows these people to get an exposure to the how and why. It's an overview, nobody is becoming an expert that weekend and nobody is claiming that it will make you one. If you're a good trainer and you do a Lvl 1, now you're a good trainer with some solid Crossfit info. If you're a novice and you do a Lvl 1, you're a novice who's better prepared to tackle a Crossfit WOD. It seems silly to criticize Crossfit for letting untrained people do these workouts (not sure how you would stop them since they are publicly available) on one hand, and then criticize them for providing basic level training on the other.
His second point is that specialization is necessary because generalized training doesn't make you elite at anything. From a Crossfit point of view the only answer is "So what." Everyone with an understanding of Crossfit knows that while you will become stronger with Crossfit you could become even stronger with a specialized strength program. While you will develop cardio-respiratory endurance with Crossfit you could develop more with a dedicated Triathalon program. For that matter doing Crossfit might make you a better baseball player, but time spent swinging a bat or fielding ground balls will do a better job of it. Nobody disputes any of that, but he's comparing apples and oranges. Getting an Olympic level shotputter to improve his shotput is a training program with little carryover to someone in the general public who wants to get in shape. Crossfit is what is, a good way for the average person to become good at a broad range of physical skills, not a magical surefire approach to making you an elite in whatever your chosen specialization is.
His problems with repetition schemes and exercise selection is something that has been dealt with by better minds than me, just recently by Glassman and Rippetoe on the the 3.5 episode of Crossfit radio, but I can say that in my personal experience the workouts are both safe and effective. I spent years working out on teams as a wrestler and a runner, and general fitness training on my own. I have never had as injury free a stretch as I have for the nearly two years I have been Crossfiting. Other than something weird like getting my thumb jammed on a clean or periods of lingering soreness that can be solved by rest and recovery, I have been fine. No pulled muscles, shin splints, torn ligaments, no injuries. As for my performance, I am stronger, faster, and capable of far more work before gassing out than I was before crossfit. So maybe these rep schemes and exercise combo's aren't so bad.
Lastly his complaint that Crossfit endorses controversial exercises has to be some kind of joke. He says he's seen clips on an affiliate site of people jumping onto cars and standing on swiss balls. Jumping onto cars has never been a part of a WOD, so while someone involved in crossfit may have done it, it certainly isn't endorsed (although I'm not sure why it would be that much worse than a box jump if it was). As for standing on a swiss ball, I didn't think it was controversial and I'm sure it isn't crossfit. Sounds alot more like the "functional" or "core" training you're likely to see in a globogym.

WOD 10.20.08

Today was a barbell complex. Looked like it was gonna be rough.

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
95 pound Thruster, 5 reps
95 pound Hang Powercleans, 7 reps
95 pound Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps

Got 8 rounds + 5 thrusters and 3 cleans.

Two rounds in my grip went to hell. Made it tough to do the cleans and the SDHPs. Thrusters weren't too bad because you can rack the bar on your shoulders. Glad to have an off day tomorrow, my body needs it.

Crossfit Level 1 Certification at CFSBK

This weekend we hosted a Level 1 certification at our gym. Truly an awesome experience. The staff was amazing, Pat Sherwood did a phenomenal job of running the show. The trainers, Adrian Bozman, EC, Rob Miller, Chuck, Maggie, were all a pleasure to work with. I learned so much more than I expected to this weekend. I am a fairly competent crossfiter and at least familiar with all the movements, but watching the way a all these trainers can break down a movement, spot mistakes, correct them, and cue for future success was eye opening. Even the lectures, the majority of which I have seen the videos and read the articles they were based on, but so many little connections clicked hearing them live this weekend. The highlight was Coach Glassman's speech/Q&A session. He started by praising CFSBK's community, its space, and David, the man who makes it happen. It was gratifying to see the hard work put in to building CFSBK get the attention it deserves.

Workouts:
Sat
Fight Gone Burpee (Basically Fight Gone Bad but with Burpees substituted for Rowing).
3 Rounds 5 mins of a continous clock as many reps as possible at each station, 1 min per station.
75# Push Press
Burpees
Wall ball shots 20# ball
SDHP 75#
20" Box Jumps
Total 295

Sun
15 Rounds
7 Medicine Ball Cleans 20# ball
7 Pushups
Time 7:52

Both were some tough ass workouts, neither score was an insane firebreather score, but I'm proud to say both were the best scores of the day.

I know they are expensive, but if you have the opportunity to get to a cert, you owe it to yourself as a crossfiter to do so.

WOD 10.16.08

We did an abbreviated version of the workout from the Albany competition.

Row 1K, then:
3 Rounds of
21 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 95/65
15 Burpees
9 Thrusters 95/65

Time 16:50

Before class I played around with snatches, got up to 155 before my thumb became an issue. After class I tried to get a feel for kipping muscle ups, was able to string like 3 or 4 together. Much easier than strict MU's.

WOD 10.15.08

Back Squat 3x5

Warmed up quick at 135 and 225 then:
275x3, 295x3, 310x3, 315x2, 275x3

Really tough to squeeze that second one out at 315, I went down in the hole for the third, had to bail when I couldn't get out.

Accessory workout:
3 Rounds
25 Double Unders
15 Ring Push-ups
Time 9:12

Ring push-ups were fairly easy, double unders suck, I counted attempts, this was the first time I have ever done them in a workout. I hate them.

WOD 10.13.08 "Erin"

Another Hero workout, this one in honor of a Canadian Army soldier.

Erin
5 Rounds
15 Dumbbell Split Cleans (40lb dumbbells)
21 Pullups

Time 14:21

Canadian Army Master Corporal Erin Doyle, 32, was killed in a firefight August 11th, 2008 in the Panjwaii District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Nicole and his daughter Zarine

Workout was brutal on my grip, holding on to the dumbells was tough as hell after the second round. Narrowly avoided tearing a huge hole in my hands by doing the last set of pullups on the rings.

Finished up with 10mins of jump rope practice mostly working on double-unders.

WOD 10.12.08

Nice simple workout, row 2,ooo meters for time.

2K row
7:26

Felt like I was rowing with all arms for most of today, quads still fried from yesterday.
Did some windmills, weighted overhead situps, and Russian twists. Finished off with some double under practice, I will make double unders my bitch.

Mid-Atlantic Hopper Challenge

Saturday was the Mid-Atlantic Hopper Challenge at Crossfit BWI.

First WOD out of the hopper was BWI's version of the Crippler

BWI Crippler
30 Front Squats @ 1/2BW (90lbs)
1 Mile Run
Time 8:09

First 800m I could barely move my legs, no knee raise at all, second half I got my stride back and was able to open up a bit.

2nd WOD was disapointing in that Double Unders were in it. I can barely do them, and definetly not well enough to string them together in a WOD, I had to sub 3x singles.
The Rep scheme for the Wod was 5 rounds, every round began with burpees, then 135lb Sumo-deadlift high pulls, and double unders (or singles).
R1 10 Burpee, 5 SDHP, 75 Singles
R2 20 Burpee, 5 SDHP, 75 Singles
R3 30 Burpee, 5 SDHP, 75 Singles
R4 20 Burpee, 5 SDHP, 75 Singles
R5 10 Burpee, 5 SDHP, 75 Singles
Time 10:56

Decent time but with it being a scaled WOD it didn't count for anything. Real disapointed, somewhat that DU's came up, mostly that I haven't mastered them yet. But, thats why you do a hopper WOD, the shit you suck at will find you, just gives you another reason not to suck at it.

WOD 10.9.08 Ryan

Tonight's WOD was Ryan, a hero workout named after a firefighter killed in the line of duty.

"Ryan"
Five rounds for time of:
7 Muscle-ups
21 Burpees

Each burpee terminates with a jump one foot above max standing reach.

This workout is in honor of Maplewood, Missouri Firefighter, Ryan Hummert, 22, who was killed by sniper fire July 21st 2008 when he stepped off his fire truck responding to a call. He is survived by his parents Andrew and Jackie Hummert.

Did it as prescribed in 21:06, not aweful considering I couldn't string together Muscle-Ups.

Did a couple 500m Rows for technique, felt like I'm getting a little smoother with my recovery.

WOD 10.8.08

Deadlift, seven heavy singles
395, 425, 445, 495, 500F, 500F

Failing twice at 500, which has been a safe opening weight for me in the past, is frustrating. Not sure whether it's due to being exhausted from my schedule, lack of grip in my injured thumb, or the aftereffects of a lack of strength work this summer, or most likely a combination.
As for fixing it, my schedule has improved a little and will be better after next week and my thumb will get better. As for strength work, I'm figuring that out, but I'm leaning to starting the Smolov cycle again after the Lvl 1 next weekend.

Accessory work
3 Rounds
30 Sit-ups
30 Russian Twists (12k kettlebell)
15 Renegade Rows (40# dbls)

Untimed, focus on doing the movements correctly with some intensity.

WOD 10.6.08

Bench Press 5x5

Bench
225x5, 235x5, 245x5, 255x5, 265x4

The fourth rep at 265 barely came up, I took a breath set myself and still couldn't budge the next one off my chest. Haven't benched much over the last nearly two years that I have been crossfiting, today felt about as strong as I have on the bench in a while.

Accessory work was a few rounds of Kettlebell swing variations, mostly involving moving under the swing, the footwork wasn't too bad to pick up but as the bells got heavier it got a bit funky.

WOD 10.5.08

This is a Partner WOD. In this workout you and your partner cumulatively complete the reps. Only one person may be working at a time.

75 Med Ball Tosses
150 Box Jumps
150 Knee To Elbows
150 Walking Lunges
150 Sit-Ups
75 Med Ball Tosses

I was partnered with Paul$, and we used the 14# ball. Finished in 21:26. We alternated 15 reps each on all the exercises except KTE's where we did 10.

Later played with Squat cleans, still working on integrating the 2nd pull with the third, I find myself not finishing the 2nd pull in an effort to race under the bar. Had a few good pulls at 185 and lower, form really broke down over 200.

WOD 9.24.08

Weighted Pull-ups
40x3,53x3,63x3,78x3,88x3

Accessory work of L-sits and some Sumo Dead Lift High Pull practice.

WOD 9.22.08

Snatches, heavy singles. You know how sometimes things just click? That happened for me today, my third pull just suddenly started happening. It made the snatches so much easier not having to pull the bar all the way to the power position. I started off at 75, an easy weight and did a few reps until it felt right and I was able to keep that feeling while adding more weight. I think it was the first time I have really ever enjoyed a snatch workout.
Singles:
75, 95, 125, 130miss, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 177miss, 177

Even the misses were more a problem of receiving improperly than not getting a good pull, so I felt confident I could hit them with another try. Today I went from my PR being 135lb power snatch (an ugly one at that) to being a bodyweight squat snatch. Very cool.

WOD 9.21.08

Today's WOD was:
Max Rounds in 20 minutes of:
6 Ring Dips
8 Pull-Ups
10 Wall Ball Shots w/20lb ball

12+ 4 Dips

Hit the wall big time, had 10 rounds at about 15mins then struggled to get 2 the next 5.

Stretched and foam roll to afterwards and then some double under practice, double unders are still a work in progress.

9.20.08

Today was a 3x5 Front Squat workout, followed by a short Metcon for FGB prep.

Front Squat
185xs3, 225x3, 245x3, 255x2

Felt something go a little weird with my back on the last set. Felt fine later on.

Then:
4 Rounds
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95#
20 Box Jumps @ 24"
Time - 4:22

WOD 9.18.08 Grace

Grace is 30 clean and jerks at 135lbs as fast as possible. I did the first 15 unbroken and then did them about 3 at a time after that. Time was 3:39 which was a PR by like 2 mins.

Accessory work was rowing intervals (focused on technique) and some broad jump variations.

WOD 9.17.08

Today was Push Jerks and some accessory work

Push Jerk 1x7
185, 205, 215, 225, 235fail, 235, 245fail

The first 235 I did not commit to, got more aggressive the 2nd time and nailed it. Still need to get more comfortable being underneath the bar.

After that we did some Jerk Dip Squats which consisted of loading the bar 5-10% heavier than you can jerk and doing the dip drive portion of the movement.

Jerk Dip Squat
245x3, 255x3

The some Sotts Presses and V-ups.

Sotts Press 40lbsx10x3

V Ups 3x10

WOD 9.15.08 The Chief

"The Chief"
Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

As RX'd
R1: 5
R2: 4
R3: 5
R4: 5
24 Total

Should have attacked that 2nd round better, tried to pace it and ended up coasting a bit.

WOD 9.14.08

Back Squat 5x5:
275x5
305x5x3
Loaded the bar with 315 for the last set and immediately dumped it. Something felt wrong in my lower back, thought it better to leave it alone.

Afterwords we did Tabata Push Press as part of our Fight Gone Bad prep.
75# Push press, 8 rounds of 20 sec work alternated with 10 sec rest.
112 total reps.

WOD 9.13.08

Todays workout

3 Rounds for Time of:
5 Deadlifts @ 390lbs (75% of 1 RM)
10 Ring Dips (strict, no kip)
15 Box Jump Dumbbell Cleans w/ 30lb dumbbells
Time - 12:24

Box jump dumbbell cleans are simply jumping on a box with dumbbells in each hand, landing in a squat position (with dumbbells held on the shoulders) and then standing up on the box, basically a dumbbell squat clean with an exaggerated jump. The deadlifts killed me, I was seeing stars after each rep during the second and third round, dips were easy, the jumps were a pain in the ass. Had a hard time griping the dumbbells in the later rounds, the deadlifts pretty much fried my hands.

WOD 9.10.08 Cindy

Today's workout was Cindy, I have been wanting to do this one for quite some time, my last PR was 20 rounds and 1 pull-up, but since then my performances on Murph and other similar WODs let me know that I could break that, the question was by how much.

Cindy
20 mins of as many rounds as possible. Each round consists of the following:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Today: 25 rounds + 5 pull-ups and 2 push-ups. I kept a good pace, 14 rounds the first 10mins, then 11+ the next 10. My legs were still a little fried from Monday and sure enough the squats were the hardest part. My work schedule is forcing me to take the next two days off, which is undoubtedly for the best.

WOD 9.8.08

For this WOD there are 3 stations at each station you performs max reps for thirty seconds followed by one minute of rest and repeat 5 times for a total of 6 work rounds. After a minute rest you move to the next station and do another 6 work rounds, before rotating to the third station to do a final 6 work rounds. Score is total reps completed.

The three stations are Front Squat, Shoulder Press, and Weighted Pull-ups. The RX'd weight is derived from a percentage of your 1RM for each movement as follows:

65% Front Squat
65% Press
30% Weighted Pull-Up

For me the workout broke down like this:

Pull-ups @30lbs: 58 reps
Front Squat @175lbs: 37 reps
Press @125lbs: 33 reps

128 total reps, last time was 112 back in May. Most of that PR was picked up by a big increase in pull-ups, was a little more comfortable with my kip and did them first as opposed to last this time.

Afterwords played with Box Jumps, hit 49" flat footed and 53" with a running start. PR's for both. Still figuring out the right speed to approach the box and how to get my steps right, so I think I still have some room for improvement.

Climbing at the Gunks

So in the spirit of Crossfit's mandate to play new sports and try new activies a bunch of us drove up to New Paltz for some rock climbing at the Gunks. We did some light hiking and bouldering. The weather was perfect, low 80's and cooler than that in the shade, which we were in for most of the day. We tried doing the various climbing problems as they were described in the guidebook we had but since none of us were very experienced climbers we pretty much just got to the top any way we could. On one particular face, after climbing to the top of the ridge I went exploring for half hour or so, got a little lost on purpose, and eventually found my way back. I forgot how much I used to enjoy that back when I used to go camping. All in all a great trip and it had kinda inspired to give climbing another shot.

WOD 9.6.08

Today was Clean and Jerks for singles. Started off at 95 worked through a progression until I hit 205. 205 was ugly so I dropped it down to 165 and hit a few that looked alright.

Afterwards played around with some Turkish Get Ups, first with 24 and 32kg kettlebells then with a barbell loaded at 75 and 95.

Finished off with 69 burpees to get caught back up with the 100 day burpee challenge.

Looking forward to eating a shit-load of pork tonight.

WOD 9.4.08

Today was 3x5 deadlifts and a metcon in honor of a classmates birthday.

Deadlifts:
325x3
375x3
395x3
425x3
445x3

My legs are still beat to shit but I was pulling ok. Was going to try another set at 475 but I reripped the callus on my right hand during the last set, when I retaped it, it was too hard griping the bar.

"Margie"
2 rounds of:
31 Oh Sallys (basically hindu or dive bomber pushups)
31 Wallballs 20#
31 Dbl split snatch each arm 40#
Time: 13:35

I will enjoy tomorrow's rest day.

WOD 9.3.08

Today was Back Squat and a short metcon workout, wasn't looking forward to heavy squats after the beating my legs took yesterday, but fuck it.

Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
275, 315, 335, 355FAIL, 315, 320, 350

Wasn't feeling real strong coming out of the hole until that 320 (6th set). The 350 felt strong. I mean it is 30 pounds under my PR but I wasn't close to being able to put up a PR tonight.

Metcon WOD was 3 rounds of 10 Toe to bars (hang from a pullup bar, keep your legs straight and touch your toes to the bar), 20 kettlebell swings each hand (16kg kettlebell), and 40 ' of broad jumps. Wasn't that bad, except the tape came off my right hand and the kettlebell was rubbing on my torn callus. Time was 9:58

WOD 9.2.08 Kelly

Did this one at Crossfit The Rock in Rockville Centre, a fairly new affiliate that is about 10 mins from my office. Hadn't heard of this WOD before and I can't say I was excited to try it, since I hate wall balls. All the more reason to do it I suppose.

Kelly
5 Rounds:
400m Run
30 Box Jumps 24"
30 Wall Balls 20#
Time: 32:14

Nice little space they have there, and Larry the coach seems like a real cool guy, I'll have to get back there again.

WOD 9.1.08 Lynne

In an effort to force myself to update this thing, I am endeavoring to post my workouts every day. So today was Lynne, 5 rounds of max reps body weight (177#) bench press followed immediately by max pullups. Rest as needed between rounds (meaning after you have finished both exercises).

Bench Press Reps/Pullups
R1: 22/32
R2: 13/20
R3: 15/20
R4: 11/20
R5: 11/20

187 Reps total. First time doing it with a spotter for the bench which was great because I didn't have to stop until I couldn't lift the damn bar anymore, unlike when I lift alone and have to stop a rep or two before then.

The Games

So the 2nd Annual Crossfit Games wrapped up yesterday. 4 Workouts in 2 days.

1. 275 # Deadlifts and Burpees. 5 Rounds of 5/10 reps
Deadlifts were easy, unbroken the whole way. First 3 rounds were quick, the last two I had to break up the burpees 5 and 5. My time was 3:17, not bad.

2. Run a 750m course on the side of a steep ass hill. Started off fast then the incline and the soft sand made me feel like I was running in place. The downhill was just craziness, I tried to make up some time and just flew down it, basically out of control but still upright, then up the last incline and finished. I did not like that run. 4:35

3. A strict ass Fran, or Mistress Fran as I called it. 21-15-9 reps of thrusters and chest to bar pullups. Everything unbroken the first round, second round things got ugly, third was just staying alive. Don't know if it was the chest to bar or it being the last event of the day but it sucked. 5:27

4. Squat Clean and Jerk 155# for 30 reps. First 10 or so were fairly tight, the next 15 were a struggle, last 5 I guess I smelled the stables because those came quick. 6:09

Overall I came in 32nd place out of 196 men. Official results

Beyond all the workouts it was awesome getting to meet loads of crossfitters, both the other competitors and the legends of crossfit (Coach, Nicole, Eva, Annie, Adrian, Rob, etc).
Greg from C2 rowers hung with us NY types whenever he was able and Saturday night when I showed up for dinner at Famous Dave's who's sitting at my table? Mike Buergener and Mark Rippetoe. Holy Motherfucking Shit!!!!!!!
I also got to meet up with some old friends, most noticably AllisonNYC (who introduced me to most of the crossfit cool kids) and some people I competed with in Albany.

I can't express how awesome a crossfit competition is, everyone there roots like hell for a person they would die trying to beat. My goal was to finish in the top 40, mission accomplished, that said it only made me hungrier for next year. 364 days and counting.

A Tale of Two Weekends Part II: The Belmont Stakes 2008

So this weekend was very different from the last, other than than the fact that both involved sweating profusely.
My friends and I headed out to Belmont Racetrack to watch yet another possible Triple Crown. We have now seen every extreme of weather in Mother Nature's early June arsenal. A few years ago it was 50 degrees and piss raining all day long, this year it was 100º heat and sun. Much sun, no shade, and much sun. I want to emphasize how much sun I was exposed to that day. I do not burn. I have gone to Puerto Rico in December and not burned after a day on the beach. I burned at the Belmont. 9 hours in the sun. Horrible. All day my rally cry was "Never Again." I wanted Big Brown to win so we could say we saw a Triple Crown and then never go to the fucking Belmont ever again. If there was another possible Triple Crown in the future we could go to a bar (one with a roof and AC) and watch the race in comfort. This was also the first year I was sober for the Belmont (a combination of the heat and the no BYOB policy enacted this year) and let me tell you if you're going to watch horses run around in a circle for 9 hours it's better to do so while drunk.
So after hours of placing bullshit dollar bets on the other races, sweating, drinking more than a gallon of water, and doing serious damage to my skin, it was time for the big race. In case you haven't heard he didn't win, or place, or show, he came in DFL (Dead Fucking Last). What a payoff.
All that said, it was fun. We laughed our asses off all day, we had a great time, and after we dropped some people off in Queens we had some kick-ass Czech food at Zlata Praha. Misery may love company, but good company trumps misery anytime.

A Tale of Two Weekends Part I: The Crossfit East Coast Challenge

Yeah, I know it's late.

2 weekends ago was the East Coast Crossfit Challenge hosted by Albany Crossfit. The contest was composed of 3 events, the Crossfit Total, a 5k run, and a hopper style WOD. The total was a great experience, I had never lifted in a competition environment before and it is amazing how much the pressure of competition and people watching can drive you. The squat went well hitting an easy 355 on my first, a solid 370 on my second, and getting red flagged on my 385 attempt. I thought the last one was clean but after watching the video, the judge, Liz Darsh from Crossfit Waterford (good blog btw), was right to red flag me, I hit parallel but didn't break it. Next time that won't be a problem. The Press went well, easy 185 to start, 190 on my second which went much smoother than usual, unfortunately that led me to be a little too aggressive and go for 200 on my third, should have gone 195. The deadlift was where it all came together. I opened at 500, easy lift. I decided to try for a new PR 515, a weight that I have been chasing for months. 515 went up smooth, I have lost it on the lock out twice before, but today no problem. I celebrated a bit after that (I head butted a wall at one point). After smiling and laughing for 15 mins I realized I had to lift again, I got my head back in the game and attempted 520. It came off the ground well and came past the knees smooth. It stalled for a moment as it came to lock out but I had it tight to the body so I knew it wasn't going anywhere. Locked it out and set it down, 10 lbs over my PR going into the day. My total was 1080 a new PR and the highest total on the day. I won my weight class (181, I weighed in at 177), the CFT event, and the pound-for-pound strongest lifter.
The run wasn't quite as fun. It had rained for a bit before but then the sun burned through making for a warm muggy run. It wasn't too bad at 24:29 but it made me realize I need to throw a little more running into my training.
The group dinner was awesome. BBQ ribs and chicken, very Paleo, very primal, and just damn tasty.
The next day's hopper WOD was a beast:
1k Row
then 5 rounds of:
21 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @95lbs
15 Burpees
9 Thrusters @95lbs


They capped it at 20mins I finished just shy 4 rounds, it was fun in a not fun way.

All in all I took 6th in the competition, met some very cool people and had a blast.




Video from the CFT, my 520 DL is about 6:19 in.

Something Stupid To Do While Wearing A 20lb Vest

So I took my new toys down to the NYSC today and did a WOD I've had my eye on for a while.

21-15-9
Deadlift 225#
Box Jump
Ring Dip

11:07

Wasn't that bad.

Slower cycle times on the box jumps, couldn't just pop back down and up. Ring Dips got to be fairly difficult during the second round and the last 9 were just plain hard. It's kind of funny to think that when I started crossfit a little over a year ago, I weighed 192lbs, today I weighed about 194lbs with the vest on. I suppose that's one reason my times have fallen.

I wish I had my camera on me when the WOD was over, a 225lb bar and 20lb vest lying on the floor, rings hanging from the power rack, and a plyobox sitting right next to all that. Like a little slice of crossfit squating inside a globo gym.

Toys

My birthday presents to myself just arrived. A weighted vest (10-25lbs) and a set of gymnastic rings. Expect foolishness to follow.

This Is Sparta!!!

So I did the 300 workout tonight.

300

• 25 Pullups
• 50 Deadlifts @ 135lbs
• 50 Pushups
• 50 Box Jumps @ 24"
• 50 Floor Wipers (left + right = 1 rep)
• 50 Clean & Press @ 35lb Kettlebell
• 25 Pullups

It wasn't quite as bad as I thought. The floor wipers were probably the worst part, keeping 135 locked out is fucking brutal at that point. I finished it in 17:18 which seemed like a decent time.

Here's some dude from Men's Health demoing the excercises.

Baseball Prospectus 08

Just got this year's Statgeek bible. As every year about this time, I will be on literary lockdown while I devour this. I will admit to being a bit pissed to see Clay Bucholtz on the cover with the caption "Better than Joba." Everyone is entitled to their opinion but no way is that laptop stealing piece of shit better than Joba.

Personal Fitness Test

Saturday afternoon was the the fitness test for the Santa Monica PD, written test was earlier in the day. I thought it was fairly easy. I was expecting the pullups to be strict dead-hang pullups. Instead we only had to break 90° and we were allowed to kip. An easy 20. Situps weren't bad 125 is a decent amount but four minutes is plenty of time to do it. Same with Pushups 100 in four minutes isn't that hard. I was happy about the run, 10:31 for 1 and a 1/2 miles and while running a guy down with 200m to go I found a few gears that I haven't felt in years. Almost made me miss competitive running. I scored 512 points (out of a maximum 565) which was the high score on the day. So hopefully I did as well on the written, I'll have the interview in a few weeks and if all breaks well, a new job sometime soon.

Hillary Clinton is an Owl

I really have nothing funny or clever to add, the bitch looks like an owl.

Funny Gym Story

Monday's WOD was 5x3 Back Squat. Since I was having dinner with my parents that night I decided to do the workout at a NYSC on Long Island near where I work. It was a good reminder of why I don't live on Long Island anymore. The gym had 1 squat rack, 0 power cages, tons of smith machines. So I set up in the lone squat rack and work my way through the Squats. In between sets I'm looking at all the jokers in there with the faux-hawks and the spiked hair with frosted tips and I'm laughing silently at the ridiculousness of it all. One guy on the Lat Pull down machine jerking his entire body back on every rep and then his buddy cheering when he lets the weight stack crash down. Another two guys doing bicep curls, one guy curling the other spotting (I guess they heard about all those catastrophic curling accidents).
Anyway I finish the squats and since I'm feeling good I decided to do 5x3 Press and after that moved on to some deadlifts. I put the bar on the floor and worked my way through my warm up progression. At 405 (my last warm up set) I notice their is a small crowd around me, one of the guys walks up to me and asks "Are you going to lift that?" I'm sure I had a confused look on my face as I thought that question over. I mean I certainly wouldn't load a bar up for aesthetic purposes so what the hell else would I be doing with it? After a second I told him yes, and then he asked if I wanted a spot. Now I can't even fathom how someone would spot a deadlift let alone why one would be necessary, so after yet another confused pause I told him no, chalked up and banged out a few reps. A few minutes later after finishing my work set, same guy walks up to me and asks "Wow, how much do you curl?" Now if this story was a joke that would have been the punchline, but since it was real life I had to try to explain something about how I hadn't curled in years and training functional movements and such, but it rapidly became clear I would have had better luck explaining calculus to a chimpanzee. He then set up on the smith machine and proceeded to do some "bench press" sets (and in case you're wondering, no the bar never came within 8" of his chest).
So that's my funny gym story (for this week anyway).

Rest Day

Today is one.
I needed one.
I went 7 days straight and it started to catch up to me last night. Thankful not in a way that will leave lingering effects but I did not feel right last night. So keep in mind kiddies that it's nice to want to be a badass but listening to your body can be a good idea.
Anyway today's WOD is to watch Blade Runner on Blu-ray and I intend to do it exactly as RX'd

Crossfit Total

Did the Crosfit Total at Crossfit South Brooklyn last night. First time I've ever had somebody to verify that everything was kosher (squat deep enough, no lean back on the press, deadlift locked out, etc). Felt good, probably could have gone a touch heavier on the squat, and I rushed the last deadlift attempt which failed before it started (just couldn't grip the damn thing). Ended up with respectable #'s and have a nice baseline for a competition score.
Squat: 315, 345, 375
Press: 185, 195, 205fail
DL: 455, 505, 515fail

Would like another crack at that 515 deadlift, I'm sure I'll get one soon enough.

Fuck the Superbowl

The Giants and the patriots.
2 teams I loathe. The only thing that sickens me more than the Giants winning is the thought of those sub-human pieces of shit known as Red Sox Nation (gayest term in sports) having one more thing to be happy about.
What odds is Vegas giving on the team buses crashing into each other on the way to the game?

Mike Huckabee is an idiot.

This dude wants to be president, however he seems to be incapable of making some very simple distinctions when it comes to evaluating certain issues. In an interview with Beliefnet.com he stated that he opposes same sex marriage because "Once we change the definition, the door is open to change it again," which of course would naturally lead to legalized pedophilia and bestiality in his view. Hmm, as a rational human being can I think of a key difference between gay sex and sex with children/animals? Hmm, this is a tough one, oh wait a second how about consent? Adult humans can give consent, children and animals can not. Seeing as how both homosexual and heterosexual sex between adults involves consent I don't think you have to be very bright to see that they are fundamentally different than bestiality and child rape.
He then followed up with this little gem "What we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards, rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family." Ok, even assuming that it is a good idea to amend the constitution to better reflect 'God's standards,' can anyone tell me what they hell they are? I'm fairly certain if you asked 75 people that question you'd get at least 75 different responses. So I guess we'd just have to use reason and logic to make judgements of what is fair and right. Gee, that sounds like how were supposed to be doing it right now, you know in a secular democracy.

Don't worry I'm not picking on just Mike, I'm planning a series of posts pissing on the field of mediocrity and sub-mediocrity that our wonderful two party system has put out there for us to choose from.

The Reign of Terror Begins Today

I have decided to ramp up my workouts in anticipation of competing at the Crossfit Games this summer. I plan on sticking to the Crossfit schedule of 3 on/1 off, but I'll be adding a second workout each day in addition to the WOD. Days 1 and 3 of the cycle the additional workout will be a lifting workout, day 2 will be a cardio type workout (running or rowing for distance or sprint intervals). Updates to follow.