Tag Archives: crossfitrook

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First Thirty Days of Focused…ish…. Nutrition Plan

It is amazing how time flies. It is hard for me to believe we are already through the first week of August. Summer is just about over. Believe me, I am not wishing it away. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Fires, Cocktails, Football,  and hooded sweatshirts. Summer is my second favorite time. We have not gotten to the beach once and we do need to fix that, quickly. We have been on the water a few times in the kayaks and Berger took her maiden voyage. She did well. She was very focused on a paddle boarder behind her and Kylie…not sure why.

It has been seven months since I last posted. Way too long. Things have been going well this year, however I have not been focused on hitting my goals. Life gets in the way. Things happen. We all make choices and push what needs to be done at that time to the top. Sadly I think many of us put ourselves last. Then we find ourselves kind of pissed that we are not achieving the things that six months ago were important to us. And of course, there is also the reality of New Years’ resolutions…..that are the same year after year.

For those of you who know me, you know that I lost my Dad the end of April. Losing a parent seems to change the view of one’s own mortality. It is an assault on it actually. When I was little I thought he was the strongest guy in the world, able to do anything. I watched him age and his physical capabilities diminish. He was hard on his body and in the end his body just gave up. It was done.

So, in part because of that, and because it just beyond time, I spoke with a fellow CultFitter and he recommended a nutritionist he had worked with previously. So I contacted her and we were off. I had to get a Resting Metabolic Rate test and a VO2 max test. The first was not hard, just took twice as much time as it was supposed to. Based on those readings I burn about 2500 calories a day just living. The VO2 max test was a giant PITA. It was on a treadmill and everyone who reads this blog knows how much I looooooove running. So imagine me on a treadmill with basically a fighter pilot mask on, a heart rate monitor around my chest, and a clippy thing on my finger. Quite the sight. I hoped that i did not trip and take out the whole thing.

The numbers came back no differently than I expected. Average/Slightly above average for a person of my age and dimensions. I met with the nutritionist via phone and went over all pertinent information. She put together a meal plan and sent it to me. Using MyFitnessPal is a huge win. It was as one would expect. Reduced calorie, high protein, moderate fat, and low carb. I am at 130 grams per day, which is not bad. Just have to make each one count.

I have enjoyed it and as the title indicates, have been committed…mostly. There was one night that was just silly. I am down 21 pounds in a little over a month. It is a steady clip of 3-5 pounds per week. CrossFit five times per week, 2 runs a week, and yoga once. I do not always get both runs, in however I’ll make it longer if I only get one run in.  The big difference on this one is that I followed exactly what I told, and it is paying off much better. Funny how that works, huh? Kind of like that thing, when you finally do what your Coach told you to do, and shocker, it works.

The eating has been easy to follow. 5-6 meals per day. I like having a plan for the week as it makes it easier to prepare and not worry about it during the day. Sunday is meal prep day. I won’t bore you all with a picture of a counter covered with food and individual prepped meals. Do I miss eating pizza? Do I miss desert? Do I miss cocktailing? Absofreakinloutely! She suggested two drinks on Saturday night. I really don’t have that switch, so i cut it out for a few weeks. The stories aren’t quite as funny, however the mornings are much more fun.

It has been a very good experience thus far and am looking forward to it continuing. Drink a few for me folks. Have a great week. Lift something heavy even if it is not in the WOD.

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Well those were fun!


I had commented last week about how August had not been as warm as we are used too. The weather gods heard my snide remark and provided a retort. Their retort was a giant middle finger of humidity. Walking out the front door at 5:15am into an atmosphere of swamp air. Good times.

Heat

MON-FITNESS

10 Rounds

9 Wall Balls s(30/20) f (20/14)

6 Burpees to 6″ Target

3 Clean and Jerks s(185/125) f(135/95)

***25 minute cap***

Summary: Doesn’t look bad, right? Wrong. I switched out med balls because the first one got so covered in sweat I couldn’t catch it. Literally slipped through my hands. Ever have to switch spots on the floor for burpees because it was so slippery? I did. Looked like someone sprayed the floor with a hose. It’s not right. I should be studied. It’s improbably for so much sweat to be generated.  Finished it in 24 and change. The burpees truly were the hardest part. Did 135 weight for C&J’s. Probably could have done 155 instead. 185 would have been too much. It’s not the jerk, which for me is a strict press because I refuse to listen to coaches, it’s the clean, or in my case, the reverse curl, because again, I refuse…you know how that ends.

balls

TUES-FITNESS

“HELEN”
3 Rounds for time:
Run 400m
21 KB Swings (1.5/1pd)
12 Pullups

Summary: Any of our fellow cultfit followers immediately grimaced when they saw the name. She’s a bitch. I felt like I was running through pancake batter. I’m not built for speed. It was more trudging than sprinting. Did ring rows instead of pull ups. KB swings and RR were all unbroken. They aren’t the hard part. It’s the stupid running. Why run when you can deadlift? That’s my motto. Checked the lovely performance history tab in Wodify, and the worst time. Ever. Still a hell of a workout. Also did early birds which is a WOD before the WOD, and Gabe was coaching so the warm up was aggressive. There we go. All rationalized out.

helen

 

WED-FITNESS
Close Grip Bench Press
3-3-3-3-3
+
7 Min AMRAP
10 Pushups s(ring pushups)
20 Air Squats

Summary:

Bench press?!?!? Yes. Almost as good as deadlift day. Almost. Also did early birds this morning which was dips and push ups, I think. Felt pretty good. Jumped from 225 to 255 which was probably to aggressive. Got two and the third required some curling from the spotter. It happens. All in all I was happy with it.  The burner afterwards was fun. Again with the sweating. Did I mention it was hot this week?

FRI-FITNESS

Every 2 minutes for 20 minutes complete:

25 Double Unders/75 Singles

1 clean

***add weight every 2 sets starting at 60% of 1RM. Find a new 1RM***

Summary:

Cleans and I have had an unfriendly relationship for the past couple of years. Logically I should be able to clean 275 without much issue. Front squat is 300, deadlift is 455. Really shouldn’t be a problem here. Instead i have been stuck at 195 for two years or so. Finally got 200 Friday morning which felt pretty good. Attempted and failed 205 several times. I should have recorded the lifts. I was pulling it plenty high. Probably snatch height for most people, who you know….drop under the bar instead of what I do, which is reverse curl it to my neck. Also learned that I really like RX jump ropes. All of my singles were unbroken. The rope was very smooth. Definitely purchasing one.

It Never Happens LIke This!

 It Never Happens LIke This!

Three shirts bit the dust this week. You know it’s time to chuck it when you offend yourself. I apologize to those at City Dock Coffee Friday morning. Yeah, my bad. There isn’t enough Febreze to fix that one. Had to go. Just shy of a decade. Again, I am sorry. Smelled like Victory! And remember, we ….

wod-for-beer

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The Open is Closed.

15.5
 15.5 We all saw it coming. We knew it would be thrusters, and a lot of them, and guess what. Thrusters. Thruck Fusters.  It could be worse. No burpees!!! I  was prepared as I could possibly be. Bullet Proof coffee in the morning.  Followed by a little BSN NO-Xplode…happy hour!  Last night’s IPA’s will have absolutely no effect whatsoever.

15.5 thruster

Going in I was thinking it wouldn’t be bad. I could break up the thrusters in halves since it’s 95lbs,  not super heavy, just a lot of legs. Rowing isn’t bad, just hard pulls to get a calorie a stroke. No worries! Then I watched the 900am class suffer through. I couldn’t leave. People had already seen me. A quick chat with someone who had completed it, and was finally fully functioning, resulted a in a rethink. Cut the thrusters in thirds.

27 cals went quicker than I thought it would. Set of 9. rest. Set of 9. rest. Set of 9. Back on the rower. 21 cals. Set of 7. Set of 7. Set of…whumph. What just happened! I can’t breathe and my legs don’t want to push back up. Finished the last set and then started 15 and that’s when the fun began. Coach Christa the Fembot in my ear, “you won’t catch your breath, just GO!”. “Back on the bar”. I calculated it would take me between 12 and 15 minutes to finish and it turned out to be 14:43. It’s not a matter of strength, it was a matter of wind. I was chasing something I couldn’t catch. My breath. Need to fix that.

Kicked

Two Natty Boh’s, and a Progenex shake and I was back to normal. I usually opt to go in the second round because, well nobody wants to go first, and I want to get it over with and it provides the opportunity to cheer on those who are still going through it. That’s they key with CrossFit. Something the other gyms won’t get. It’s the community. It’s the support and friendships. After that WOD, there was a potluck happy hour. As you can imagine, carb city. Krispy Kreme, pasta salads, chips,..you name it.

This year’s Open was by far my favorite. The scaled WOD’s were challenging however very doable. 15.4 was my favorite. Hit 100 reps. I happen to like push press and that helped significantly. 15.5 was the most difficult, however I liked it and hope it finds it’s way into the 12Labours rotation. You know it’s a good when you are washing down two Aleve with a a Manhattan a few hours after the WOD. Of course, looking forward to the 12Labours Team heading to Regionals, and then back to the Games. We expect great things!

12Labours

3, 2, 1….

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The Day Before KALSU….

Two things stood in my way of attending Midnight Filthy Fifty. Sleep and a few Ketel One martinis. Heard there was an excellent turnout and we may make it next year. No CrossFit today, the only WOD will be eating. It’s an AMFAP. As many forkfuls as possible.

 

Happiness....

 

Friday is KALSU and today is dedicated to carb-loading. I have never attempted KALSU before however I hear it is quite rewarding. EMOM Burpees and Thrusters. How bad can it be? Probably this bad…..Looking forward to it. I am sure it will be spectacular.

Bodies Hit the Floor

 

What is KALSU you may ask? It incorporates two of the most notoriously puke-tastic CrossFit movements. Burpees and Thrusters. Still want to know more? EMOM, every minute on the minute, five burpees followed by as many thrusters as you can in the remaining minute. The goal? Besides not puking, passing out, pissing yourself…etc. Hit 100 thrusters. 95# for the dudes, 65# for the ladies, and the bar for those who are new to thrusters.

Who is KALSU? A true American badass, that’s who. Story: http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/09/04/name-wall-si-60-william-nack-bob-kalsu

KALSU

 

Plan of Attack:

Any thoughts about beating this WOD make about as much sense as the following image. Lace up, chalk up, man up and embrace the suck.

At Dawn...we ATTACK!

 

Five burpees followed by five thrusters is where I will start. That seems like a logical plan. Every three to five minutes do the five burpees and rest the remaining time. Also thinking about how to complete the burpee. The Taylor flop or stepping back one foot at a time. Whichever method that will conserve energy is preferred. Lots and lots of hamstring stretches. Tight hammys and burpees don’t go together. Shoulders and forearms will get smoked. It is what it is. Just. Keep. Moving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WOD: Cindy…we all know her and love her….

thecindyworkout

 

It is April, which means May is right around the corner, which also means Murph is coming. What’s the best way to prepare for Murph? By doing Cindy of course! Twenty rounds of Cindy sandwiched between mile runs. Your friends will be at BBQ’s, opening pool parties, you know, enjoying themselves while you and the rest of the CrossFit addicted horde will be running pulling and pushing. Yay.

In my mind this is what “Cindy” looks like. She can’t hurt you. The highest rep count is 15 and it’s squats. You do this all day every day. How can this possibly be hard. She wouldn’t hurt you. She’s little and innocent. You are going to crush this…in twenty minutes there is no reason why you logically can’t get at least 20 rounds. At least. No way you get less. It’s Cindy.

I wouldn't hurt you...

 

Here is a picture of you before Cindy.

Bullet proof coffee, Kill Cliff, exuding confidence and pissing excellence. You are a mixture of Froning, Ricky Bobby, and the Hulk. Nothing will stop you from destroying Cindy. She stands no chance. She will run and cower in the corner.

Games08JeremyPostRun_th

 

Chalked, taped, stretched, rolled, rowed, and assault biked. You are warm, limber, caffeinated and fueled. 3,2,1 GO! Jump on the bar, get your grip right and…what the hell? How is that person already on push ups? shoot. I better get going. Knock out the first round in less than a minute. You own it. This feeling continues, until about five or six rounds in. Time to Suck it up Buttercup. Dig deep.

The rubber mat feels cool against your face as you have now resorted to hand release push ups. Don’t fall into that trap. Keep pushing. When squatting all you see is your sweat imprint on the floor from the push ups. That’s weakness leaving the body. It’s a good thing. Another pool has formed on the floor between your feet. Damn, should have invested in that Rogue headband!

Hands are starting to tear but it doesn’t matter because you are over halfway there and while 20 rounds may be out of reach you are however on pace to PR. No stopping you now. Damn, she is still doing unbroken push ups. How? Isn’t she tired!! WTF.

Three minutes left and you need two full rounds. No problem. Does that person not feel pain? Jeez…they have been doing two rounds to my one round. How the hell do they do that? Can’t focus on them. Finished the second round and started the third…you Pr’d but have to keep going. TIME! Because you are a bad ass you finish the round and this happens:

Mommy…?

Mommy…?

The walls are vibrating. Can’t really catch your breath. You’ve never sweated this much….of course you have. You are a CrossFitter. We sweat a lot. Heartbeat is finally slowing down. Need water. Vision is back to normal. Whew. Thankfully that is over. The average person would have quit halfway through. You have done more in the past twenty minutes than most people will accomplish all day. The hardest part of your day is over. Time to EAT!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mommy…?

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Ten Things That Will Happen When you Start CrossFit

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CrossFit is taking over. Chances are above average there is at least one Box within five miles of your house, and another getting ready to open. It is taking over because it works. It is a holistic approach to fitness that incorporates strength, cardio, flexibility, nutrition, and a bunch of other good stuff.

Thinking about starting? You should if you want any of the following to happen:

10) You will be Excited/Nervous/Apprehensive

Everybody had a first day and had the same feelings. It is the same as the first day of school or your first day at a new job. Most of the members are nice and are welcoming. Every place has one or two who aren’t friendly and that’s fine. Find the ones who are and hang out with them. Surround yourself with good people and good things happen.

9) Finishing Last is OK

Everybody finishes last at least once. I still do. It is part of learning. Try not to sacrifice form for time. Scaling is a good thing. The trainer will be able to help determine the right weight or the right substitute. It takes time and lots of practice to get better, however it does happen! Push yourself at every WOD. Always give 100%.

8) Getting Beat Up

No, not by the bully. Muscles that you didn’t even know you had will hurt. You will get strains, pulls, pops, tweaks, cracks, and creeks. Knees, ankles, and shoulders will be swollen and sore. It is part of the fun. There is a difference between good hurt and bad pain. Talk to your trainer and let them know what is happening. They can make recommendations. Stretching and ice packs are your friend. I have one on my knee right now.

7) These Workouts are HARD……and Rewarding

I started at a local gym when I was 16. Basic lifting with some cardio. I did that for fifteen years before I started CrossFit. I do not remember having a workout so difficult that I laid on the floor flat on my back, unable to catch my breath. Now it happens two or three times a week.

6) Make some very good Friends

We have met so many great people at CrossFit, we don’t remember what it was like before we met them. They become your support group. Everyone is going through the same WOD’s together, so you better cheer each other on.

5) Paying more Attention to what you eat

Good stuff in, good stuff out. Whole Life Challenge, Whole Thirty, Paleo, Zone, etc. Ten to one your local Box will host nutritional seminars or have a challenge which will help you eat better. Once you eat better, you will perform better.

4) Competitiveness

After a few weeks the competition gene will kick in. It’s natural. We aren’t that long out of the caves. Our ancestors called competition “survival”. This can be a blessing and a curse all in one. Try to compete only against yourself for a while. Competing against the elite athletes is a sure-fire path to disappointment. Set realistic goals and expectations.

3) Going all in

It can easily become obsessive. The gear, shoes, clothing, food, etc. It’s a great cult! Some people CrossFit to get better at other sports and some CrossFit to get better at CrossFit. It doesn’t matter. Doing CrossFit properly and eating better will make your more healthy and improve your quality of life. Give it a few months before you drop two bills on the Romaleos. They help however they are pricey.

It won’t take long before all of your family and friends know you are a CrossFitter. It will be plastered on your Facebook page and it’s all you’ll talk about. It is fine.

2) Surprise, You’re a Beast

Things that you immediately thought you couldn’t do, you will do, and it will feel awesome. You will start repping out heavy dead lifts, squatting more than you weigh, and then following it up with a run or getting on the rower. Double Unders will become second nature. Yanking lbs over your head while in a full squat, otherwise known as the snatch, will get easy. Alright, easier.

1) Why did I Wait so Long to try CrossFit?

I don’t know. Why did you?

You will notice improvements in any sports you play. Also in your professional and personal life. I am sure you have heard “get your head right and your body will follow.” The opposite is true as well. Get your body right and your head will follow. No sense in getting in shape before you try CrossFit. Just try it.

I hope you decide to take advantage of the free session offered by CrossFit boxes. It is well worth it!