Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Road to the CrossFit Games??
Well let's see what have I done this past week. I saw the Twins beat the Red Sox last night, that was a good time! Also I ate a giant thing of nachos and drank a refreshing beer. Pretty solid baseball experience all in all. Memorial Day weekend was nice. I took Friday off and laid outside and got way more sun than I expected. So I was a little burned the rest of the weekend. Got a few good workouts in. Ran with Girtz on Saturday. Celebrated Girtz's birthday on Saturday night. Good times, but I am pretty much over the downtown scene. At least after 10 PM or so anyway. Monday as part of my personal Memorial Day tribute I did the Murph workout: 1 mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1 mile run. It was absolutely terrible. I knew I would have a hard time keeping track so I actually got my mom to do it for me, haha. It ended up taking about 47 minutes and I was absolutely wrecked afterward. I'm still a little sore today. Also I ordered some kettlebells from Rogue Fitness last week and they came in today. So today I went to the park and made up my own little metcon:
AMRAP 20 minutes
-10 clean and press each arm (35 lb KB)
Run 200 meters
I think I got about 6 rounds in. And I was gassed at the end. But it was fun to do it outside. Then after a little break I did a mini Barbara (Barbie!):
5 rounds
-5 pullups
-10 pushups
-15 situps
-20 squats
Rest 3 minutes in between rounds. If this was the only workout I did today I would've scaled up to the full thing I think. As it was I completed each round in about a minute or so. Wasn't too bad, but felt good to do a little extra.
So tomorrow may be the beginning of a long journey. I am heading to CrossFit MSP to talk with Michael there about my goals and probably join up with that affiliate. I really think that if I trust in their coaching I can make some great strides this year. I am pretty excited about this possibility.
AMRAP 20 minutes
-10 clean and press each arm (35 lb KB)
Run 200 meters
I think I got about 6 rounds in. And I was gassed at the end. But it was fun to do it outside. Then after a little break I did a mini Barbara (Barbie!):
5 rounds
-5 pullups
-10 pushups
-15 situps
-20 squats
Rest 3 minutes in between rounds. If this was the only workout I did today I would've scaled up to the full thing I think. As it was I completed each round in about a minute or so. Wasn't too bad, but felt good to do a little extra.
So tomorrow may be the beginning of a long journey. I am heading to CrossFit MSP to talk with Michael there about my goals and probably join up with that affiliate. I really think that if I trust in their coaching I can make some great strides this year. I am pretty excited about this possibility.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Quick update...
I wanted to post my Twitter page, since I have been twittering some of my WODs and times. Go there for more frequent updates.
I am thinking about picking up a set of kettlebells (1 pood, 1.5 pood, and 2 pood) for workouts in the park this summer. One thing that I still like to do is get outside and it'd be nice to have something to use besides just bodyweight workouts. The only issue is cost. One place I found online was about 410 for the 3 including shipping. The shipping for these things is ridiculous, which I guess is understandable.
Also, yesterday's WOD:
4 rounds
400 meter run
50 squats
Completed in 95 degree heat in 12:07.
Today should be a day off if I'm doing 3 on, 1 off. So maybe I'll do some strength work today. I'd also like to go for a bike ride at some point, now that my bike is all good to go thanks to JV.
Also I am taking tomorrow off of work for no reason. I cannot wait. I think the weather will be reasonable so I will probably enjoy laying by the pool for a while. Ahh. And also very much looking forward to getting together with a special someone tomorrow night. Should be a great kickoff to a long weekend!
I am thinking about picking up a set of kettlebells (1 pood, 1.5 pood, and 2 pood) for workouts in the park this summer. One thing that I still like to do is get outside and it'd be nice to have something to use besides just bodyweight workouts. The only issue is cost. One place I found online was about 410 for the 3 including shipping. The shipping for these things is ridiculous, which I guess is understandable.
Also, yesterday's WOD:
4 rounds
400 meter run
50 squats
Completed in 95 degree heat in 12:07.
Today should be a day off if I'm doing 3 on, 1 off. So maybe I'll do some strength work today. I'd also like to go for a bike ride at some point, now that my bike is all good to go thanks to JV.
Also I am taking tomorrow off of work for no reason. I cannot wait. I think the weather will be reasonable so I will probably enjoy laying by the pool for a while. Ahh. And also very much looking forward to getting together with a special someone tomorrow night. Should be a great kickoff to a long weekend!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
New Adventures
Well in the interest of working towards possibly competing at the regional qualifiers for the CrossFit games in May 2010 I have started rotating in some metcons again. I think the Starting Strength stuff has really helped. In fact, last week I did one of the workouts from the eastern Canada qualifiers:
21 1.5 pood (53 lb, I used 55 lb) swings
21 burpees
15 swings
15 burpees
9 swings
9 burpees
I was exhausted afterward and finished in 5:30 or so. I was curious so I looked up my time in comparison to the men's competitors. I wouldn't have been last at least! There's room for improvement, but I think for a first attempt, that was good to figure out where I stand a little bit. Also completed the other following WODs:
Cindy in the park:
AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 20 minutes:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats
I always lose count with Cindy. I think I got upwards of 15 rounds, but I really have no idea. I was doing pullups on the monkey bars with a neutral grip and that really killed me. All pullups were from a dead hang.
Also did this WOD yesterday and finished in just over 20 minutes. I scaled to a 135 pound bench press because I didn't want to have to deal with a spotter. The 2000 meter row at the end was just brutal.
Sunday I just did a run around Lake Nokomis, stopping for some pullups and pushups here and there. Tried to keep it at a pretty uncomfortable pace.
And today I was inspired by a Twitter post to give Helen a shot:
3 rounds
400 m run
21 1.5 pood (53 lb, but I used 55 lb) swings
12 pullups.
I finished in just over 13 minutes. My kipping pullup technique needs a lot of work. At the end I could barely do 1's and 2's of pullups. The swings weren't too much trouble. First set was unbroken. The 2nd two sets were broken: 16 straight, quick breather, 5 more to finish.
Feeling pretty good about where I'm at. Tomorrow's WOD is 4 rounds of 400 meter run, 50 air squats. I can already feel my legs aching. Awesome!
Still debating what to do about joining a CrossFit gym. I could definitely use the competition and camraderie. CrossFit MSP would be my first choice; over in St. Louis Park. It looks like there is a CrossFit Minneapolis opening in a couple weeks over on Broadway which would be REALLY convenient. I'll have to wait and see I guess. Anybody want to join me for this journey?? 3,2,1, this is gonna suck, GO!!!!
21 1.5 pood (53 lb, I used 55 lb) swings
21 burpees
15 swings
15 burpees
9 swings
9 burpees
I was exhausted afterward and finished in 5:30 or so. I was curious so I looked up my time in comparison to the men's competitors. I wouldn't have been last at least! There's room for improvement, but I think for a first attempt, that was good to figure out where I stand a little bit. Also completed the other following WODs:
Cindy in the park:
AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 20 minutes:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats
I always lose count with Cindy. I think I got upwards of 15 rounds, but I really have no idea. I was doing pullups on the monkey bars with a neutral grip and that really killed me. All pullups were from a dead hang.
Also did this WOD yesterday and finished in just over 20 minutes. I scaled to a 135 pound bench press because I didn't want to have to deal with a spotter. The 2000 meter row at the end was just brutal.
Sunday I just did a run around Lake Nokomis, stopping for some pullups and pushups here and there. Tried to keep it at a pretty uncomfortable pace.
And today I was inspired by a Twitter post to give Helen a shot:
3 rounds
400 m run
21 1.5 pood (53 lb, but I used 55 lb) swings
12 pullups.
I finished in just over 13 minutes. My kipping pullup technique needs a lot of work. At the end I could barely do 1's and 2's of pullups. The swings weren't too much trouble. First set was unbroken. The 2nd two sets were broken: 16 straight, quick breather, 5 more to finish.
Feeling pretty good about where I'm at. Tomorrow's WOD is 4 rounds of 400 meter run, 50 air squats. I can already feel my legs aching. Awesome!
Still debating what to do about joining a CrossFit gym. I could definitely use the competition and camraderie. CrossFit MSP would be my first choice; over in St. Louis Park. It looks like there is a CrossFit Minneapolis opening in a couple weeks over on Broadway which would be REALLY convenient. I'll have to wait and see I guess. Anybody want to join me for this journey?? 3,2,1, this is gonna suck, GO!!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
The next white whale?
Really debating putting this on the road map for the next year... Can I get there?
CrossFit Games
One year to reach this status. I need probably 100-150 pounds on my 1RM deadlift. And maybe 100 pounds on my back squat. I have to have something to train for. A competitive drive is smoldering inside.
CrossFit Games
One year to reach this status. I need probably 100-150 pounds on my 1RM deadlift. And maybe 100 pounds on my back squat. I have to have something to train for. A competitive drive is smoldering inside.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Starting Strength update
I figured I should update this beast. It has been about over 2 months. So here's the progress:
My weight is up to ~181/182. So I've gained over ten pounds. I don't think I've gained much body fat though based on absolutely nothing other than my own estimation. I'm not sure if 10 pounds of muscle in 2 months is reasonable. Here are the current numbers as of my most recent workouts:
Squat: 3x5 @ 205 lbs
Bench press: 3x5 @ 200 pounds (this was my max, I went back down to 185 as I was feeling some shoulder issues. I don't really feel like I want to be able to bench much more anyway).
Press: 3x5 @ 140 pounds (Tonight I went to 145 and got 1 set, plus about 4 reps, then my arms just wouldn't do anymore.)
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 225 pounds (new PR as of tonight. My back felt pretty good. I think my form is getting better.)
Pullups: I'm not sure what my max is right now. I have been trying to pull back the volume a little bit and do some more weighted chins and pullups. Felt a little twinge in my elbows, so I want to keep sets to 5-8 I think. Did some towel pullups tonight. Just killed my grip but that's good because I think my forearm strength is a little weak.
Nutrition has been good since the weather has improved finally. I pretty much have some type of protein every night (grilled chicken or beef). A fair amount of dark, leafy greens and usually some cottage cheese for added protein. I think I've kind of got the nutrition dialed in the way it should. A few weeks ago I was having more carbs at night then I probably should have and I could definitely see it a little in my appearance. So now I know that I'm relatively sensitive to carbs at night. During the day I really don't sweat the carb intake. I don't go nuts, but I'm not worried about a sub sandwich or a burger or whatever.
Taking a look at my goals for 2009:
-Squat: 5RM @ 225 lbs. This should be doable as I'm about 20 pounds away right now. I think my depth has been good; getting below parallel. It'd be nice to have a second set of eyes to double check.
-Press: 5RM @ bodyweight. This could be tough. I'm still about 40 lbs away. I think a 1 RM @ bodyweight is a reasonable goal though. I think last time I checked I was about 155 lbs or so on my 1 RM. 30 pounds in the next 7 months should be in reach.
-Bench press: 5 RM @ 210. This is probably possible too, but I'm not sure if I care enough to get there. Recently I did 3x5 @ 200, so one set of 5 at 210 is probably there even now. But I don't want to mess my shoulders up. I'm doing my best to be very strict with form (retracting the shoulder blades). But I can still feel it a little bit. Also I hate going to heavy on bench because that means I have to ask for a spot which drives me nuts. The last time I did, the well meaning dude I asked screwed everything up. He passed the bar off and then proceeded to keep his hands RIGHT ON THE BAR the entire time. It really threw me off.
-Deadlift: 5 RM @ 340. This could be very tough as I'm over 100 pounds away. Again this might be reasonable for a 1 RM. Five reps at this could be very tough though.
Honestly what I would like is a CrossFit total of 1000 (1RM squat+1RM press+1RM deadlift). This is a long term goal, but a very good indicator of strength. I'm also not sure if I can get there without some one on one coaching on my lifts. It might be a good idea to get a refresher. I'm thinking if I keep at things, sometime in 2010 I could get there. Haha, that sounds so far away. Actually talking about this kind of makes me want to get a membership at CrossFit MSP. It's the newest affiliate in the area and it's run by a guy that coached me at CrossFit Minnesota in Eden Prairie. Really nice guy and it sounds like their gym is devoted to building strength. That's one thing I feel is missing from CrossFit. For beginners that just can't do the workouts as prescribed it's tough to get stronger. The WODs are so varied, you will just never get there unless you specifically train strength too, in my opinion. Of course I could be wrong.
Also with the nicer weather I've been rotating some running in again a couple days a week. Usually I do one day of intervals (usually like 8x1/4 mile sprints, trying to hold a 1:30 time for each) and one tempo run at a distance of ~3 miles. The good news is as I have put on some muscle I have kept speed and endurance for the most part. The intervals leave me completely whipped but I can pretty much hold the 1:30 for all 8. And last Tuesday for my tempo run I was able to do 3 miles in 22 minutes which I was pretty pleased about. That was absolute maximum effort. I'm debating signing up for the Urban Wildland Half Marathon in August. That was a really nice course last year. Of course it would be fun to find somebody else to train with me... Anybody? Anybody?
Anyway, in general, feeling pretty good about where I'm at fitness-wise. Obviously I always like to improve, but I think I'm on a pretty good path. I have honestly become addicted to it. It's like therapy for me. Might be kind of sad, but the ~3 hours/week I spend in the gym have become some of my favorite hours spent all week. Haha. Oh well. I guess it's a hobby, which is good, because I think that's sort of what I have been missing in recent years.
Other life stuff: It's all good. :)
My weight is up to ~181/182. So I've gained over ten pounds. I don't think I've gained much body fat though based on absolutely nothing other than my own estimation. I'm not sure if 10 pounds of muscle in 2 months is reasonable. Here are the current numbers as of my most recent workouts:
Squat: 3x5 @ 205 lbs
Bench press: 3x5 @ 200 pounds (this was my max, I went back down to 185 as I was feeling some shoulder issues. I don't really feel like I want to be able to bench much more anyway).
Press: 3x5 @ 140 pounds (Tonight I went to 145 and got 1 set, plus about 4 reps, then my arms just wouldn't do anymore.)
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 225 pounds (new PR as of tonight. My back felt pretty good. I think my form is getting better.)
Pullups: I'm not sure what my max is right now. I have been trying to pull back the volume a little bit and do some more weighted chins and pullups. Felt a little twinge in my elbows, so I want to keep sets to 5-8 I think. Did some towel pullups tonight. Just killed my grip but that's good because I think my forearm strength is a little weak.
Nutrition has been good since the weather has improved finally. I pretty much have some type of protein every night (grilled chicken or beef). A fair amount of dark, leafy greens and usually some cottage cheese for added protein. I think I've kind of got the nutrition dialed in the way it should. A few weeks ago I was having more carbs at night then I probably should have and I could definitely see it a little in my appearance. So now I know that I'm relatively sensitive to carbs at night. During the day I really don't sweat the carb intake. I don't go nuts, but I'm not worried about a sub sandwich or a burger or whatever.
Taking a look at my goals for 2009:
-Squat: 5RM @ 225 lbs. This should be doable as I'm about 20 pounds away right now. I think my depth has been good; getting below parallel. It'd be nice to have a second set of eyes to double check.
-Press: 5RM @ bodyweight. This could be tough. I'm still about 40 lbs away. I think a 1 RM @ bodyweight is a reasonable goal though. I think last time I checked I was about 155 lbs or so on my 1 RM. 30 pounds in the next 7 months should be in reach.
-Bench press: 5 RM @ 210. This is probably possible too, but I'm not sure if I care enough to get there. Recently I did 3x5 @ 200, so one set of 5 at 210 is probably there even now. But I don't want to mess my shoulders up. I'm doing my best to be very strict with form (retracting the shoulder blades). But I can still feel it a little bit. Also I hate going to heavy on bench because that means I have to ask for a spot which drives me nuts. The last time I did, the well meaning dude I asked screwed everything up. He passed the bar off and then proceeded to keep his hands RIGHT ON THE BAR the entire time. It really threw me off.
-Deadlift: 5 RM @ 340. This could be very tough as I'm over 100 pounds away. Again this might be reasonable for a 1 RM. Five reps at this could be very tough though.
Honestly what I would like is a CrossFit total of 1000 (1RM squat+1RM press+1RM deadlift). This is a long term goal, but a very good indicator of strength. I'm also not sure if I can get there without some one on one coaching on my lifts. It might be a good idea to get a refresher. I'm thinking if I keep at things, sometime in 2010 I could get there. Haha, that sounds so far away. Actually talking about this kind of makes me want to get a membership at CrossFit MSP. It's the newest affiliate in the area and it's run by a guy that coached me at CrossFit Minnesota in Eden Prairie. Really nice guy and it sounds like their gym is devoted to building strength. That's one thing I feel is missing from CrossFit. For beginners that just can't do the workouts as prescribed it's tough to get stronger. The WODs are so varied, you will just never get there unless you specifically train strength too, in my opinion. Of course I could be wrong.
Also with the nicer weather I've been rotating some running in again a couple days a week. Usually I do one day of intervals (usually like 8x1/4 mile sprints, trying to hold a 1:30 time for each) and one tempo run at a distance of ~3 miles. The good news is as I have put on some muscle I have kept speed and endurance for the most part. The intervals leave me completely whipped but I can pretty much hold the 1:30 for all 8. And last Tuesday for my tempo run I was able to do 3 miles in 22 minutes which I was pretty pleased about. That was absolute maximum effort. I'm debating signing up for the Urban Wildland Half Marathon in August. That was a really nice course last year. Of course it would be fun to find somebody else to train with me... Anybody? Anybody?
Anyway, in general, feeling pretty good about where I'm at fitness-wise. Obviously I always like to improve, but I think I'm on a pretty good path. I have honestly become addicted to it. It's like therapy for me. Might be kind of sad, but the ~3 hours/week I spend in the gym have become some of my favorite hours spent all week. Haha. Oh well. I guess it's a hobby, which is good, because I think that's sort of what I have been missing in recent years.
Other life stuff: It's all good. :)
