Chocolate on my Shoes

Not sure where it came from, but after looking at the pic from my previous post, it could have come from anywhere.  AND YES, I KNOW ITS CHOCOLATE!  I licked it, lol... j/k.

Anyway, I've been away from CF for a week to help celebrate the wedding of two amazing people, Darryl and Erica.  It most definitely was the wedding of the century.  Sucks, because if my day ever comes, I can't imagine it being that much fun with soooo much family.  Maybe I can get them to host and DJ mine =)

While in Charlotte, I was hoping to hit up the Ultimate Crossfit box to stay in shape but had too much fun and was always on the go.  I was in contact with the owner and the good thing about being in the CF cult is that you can mostly attend any box without any fees... assuming it's for only a few days =)  Maybe next time.

So, the WOD was great for me.  It's a "buttock" kicker, one that many fear.  I welcomed it with open arms because I needed!  It's called the "The Filthy Fifty"

• 50 Box jump, 24 inch box
• 50 Jumping pull-ups
• 50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
• Walking Lunge, 50 steps
• 50 Knees to elbows
• 50 Push press, 45 pounds
• 50 Back extensions
• 50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
• 50 Double unders
• 50 Burpees

Finished it in 34 min, which is about three min longer then my best.  One reason is because I didn't substitute the double unders like I  normally do.  I tried to stick with it.  I do find myself getting better, but mostly think it's on accident, lol.

Well, that's it for now.  Time to go see if there is chocolate anywhere else.

Quickie!

Quickies are just as powerful when the Intensity is High!

After a long day at work, and what may look to be a long night and hard week for me, I needed an escape from the Thinkpad.

7:45pm

• I turn from my laptop reaching for my mp3 player, headphones, and threw on my sneakers and wife-beater.
• As I make it to the door, I decide to grab my jump rope to work on DUs.

7:50pm

• Out the door, literally running down the steps and out my complex gate towards the park
• Passed the park cause I didn't have a clue of what I was going to do so continued to a school
• Arrived to the school after my half mile run from home and got to work

Complete 10 Rounds and Never Stopping/Resting

• Attempt 10 DUs
• 10 Push-ups (varying incline, decline, or regular)
• 2- 40 yrd Runs (varying sprints, side shuffles, or suicides)
• 15 Lung Steps (or air squats/jumps)

Then I picked up my keys and rolled up my jump role and ran/sprint the half mile back home.

8:15pm

• Back in the door, sweating like a pig with my heart rate up pretty high

That was an amazing quickie.  Aiight, off to shower to get clean!

I'm not your average guy...

And if you know me, this is true =)  No disrespect to my Homies, but ya'll know what I mean.

Anyway, today I set a PERSONAL RECORD.  (applause... Thx u, Thx u).  I found my 1 MAX REP in the Deadlift.  It's been an awesome journey, one I'm really excited about because before CF, I hated doing any type of lifts, therefore didn't do any.

What impresses me the most about this PR is the fact I didn't really do anything to prepare for it.  Kind of like working, but not doing anything... yet still getting paid... with a bonus =)  (don't want to hear any jokes, lol) Only deadlifts I've been doing is at very low weight (85 to 135lbs) during our high rep workouts.

My first week at CF, I did 135lb.  No where close to my bodyweight.  After a month of getting better with the technique, I was able to do 185 unofficially... and then 255 unofficial a month later.  Why do I say 'unofficial'?  Because I did it on my own at 24 Fitness, no one to watch and critique me.. having the possibility of hurting myself.  Not good at all!

So, I got my official 275!.. weighting in at a massive 150lbs, lol.  What does this mean?  Well, according to this chart below, the AVERAGE guy (Un-trained) is one who's not trained on an exercise but CAN perform it correctly.  The next person, the Novice, is one who has been training regularly for a period of 3-9 months. Then there is the Intermediate guy.. one who has engaged in regular training for up to two years. For info on the other people, check this link out. So, my training is considered Novice (5.5 months of CF), buy my output says Intermediate.

Deadlift - Adult Men
Body Weight	Un-trained	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
114	97	179	204	299	387
123	105	194	222	320	414
132	113	209	239	342	438
148	126	234	269	380	482
165	137	254	293	411	518
181	148	274	315	438	548
198	156	289	333	457	567
220	164	305	351	479	586
242	172	318	363	490	596
275	176	326	373	499	602
319	180	333	381	506	608
320+	183	340	388	512	617

So, next time you refer to me as not being your average guy, just call me an Intermediate Guy =)  They'll know what you mean...

Oh, and for the WOD.. took me 15mins to complete this circuit.  Lost a crap load of skin on my hands... and wasted a bunch of time on the DUs.  Need to practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rounds for time of:

• 20 Double Unders
• 15 Pull Ups
• 10 1.5 pood KB Swings 

Picture Time!

Why do I go to Crossfit?  To take pictures of course!  We had an extremely large class today.  See me?

Anyway, today's workout sucked for me because I hurt my Quads during the warm-up, lol.  So, I didn't get to really push myself today at all =(  Instead of sprinting 25 meters and walk back, repeating 10 times, I just jogged in circles slowly until everyone finished.

For the WOD, I tried to fight thru it and got in 10 rounds in 10 minutes of:

• 15 Lunge Steps
• 12 Mountain Climbers
•  7 Push Ups

That's 'ok' but wished my leg wasn't bothering me so I could have pushed myself.  Anyway, its 3:30am, I should get my rest...

Crossfit for Lunch

Have to admit, there isn't anything better then working out for lunch.  Not only do you get a break from work, but you keep yourself from consuming something you'd be tempted to other wise.  It shocks your body and gets your metabolism going for the rest of the day.  If you have the resources at work, I encourage you to visit it.  Moreover, talk your lunch buddies into joining you as well.

Today I tried to find my 1 Rep Max Back Squat and did my first sets of Bench Press since my days of 24 Fitness.  As with anything, you won't increase your 1 Rep Max unless you continue to work on it, something I have been lacking and our Trainer is now forcing us to become better at and record.  Good thing is I can only go up.

I found my MBS to be 155lbs.  I found myself leaning forward on the way up, and I need to work on that because that's where the 'good stuff' is.  If I keep it over and centered, I can increase the load.

Then I hit the Bench Press.. did two sets of 5 reps of 135.  I could probably have done more, if I had help and assistance.  What I can pull from this is that during my regular gym days, if I took a break, i would have struggled with a weight like that.  So, I'm pretty happy.

The WOD was to try and complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes

• 10 Jumping Pull Ups (wrist at the height of the bar)
• 15  Push Ups
• 20 Box Jumps 20"

I finished with 7 rounds.  The push ups started to get hard after the third set.  I did use a lot on the bench press I guess.  Someone got in 9 rounds, but he's a badass.

Pain... the Crossfit High

That's what one of the trainers said today that kind of stood out.  Guess it goes along with.. "no pain, no gain."

The technique of the day was the Snatch.  It's a pretty cool way of getting a heavy object quickly off the ground and into the air.  We had to perform 1 Hang Power Snatch (stance start) and one Full Snatch (squat start) every minute for 10 minutes at a moderate load.  I did 75lbs and saw my technique getting better after each try.

The WOD was a quick 10min burner.  I had to complete 4 Rounds of 25 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95lbs and then 25 full Sit Ups.  Since I can't handle that, I scaled down to 85lb for the first 2 rounds and then 65lbs to make sure I finished in the allowed time.  Purpose was to keep moving and don't stop too long.  Rest two seconds and get back on it.  This is what makes CF places cool. You can grunt and cuss to get the weight up and then just drop it if you want.  You don't have to control it down like you would in a regular gym and get kicked out if you slip up.

During the SDHPs, I kept arching my back every so often... which is a NO-NO! If I took my time and looked straight ahead and kept my chest out, I'd not only perform it properly, but easily. Remember that Frank!!!!

It's Official, my Trainer is CRAZY!

Today, I came to the lunch workout thinking it was a joke...

4- 50m tractor tire flips
2- 50m Prowler Pushes @ 95#'s
6- Stair assents (up and down is one)
8- 50 meter sprints
10- Shoulder Press @ 95#'s
20- Push Press @ 95#'s
30- Push Jerk's @ 95#'s
40- KB Swings  1.5 pood
50- Burpees

Well, it wasn't, and I spent about 30 minutes trying to finish the above.  The Prowler kicked my a$$ and I had to drop the Push Jerks 20lbs.  Also, I did 1 pood for KBs since the others were taken at the time.  Glad I went today, for this was the ultimate body workout.  Everything is puffy on me =)  

Wonderful Weekend!

Man, I keep reflecting on the wonderful weekend I had.  Fun, Sun, Swirls, and More!

Friday- I finally attempted to do Angie.  It was a serious workout I did on my own in my neighborhood park. I decided to time myself by recording me.  Well, as you can see, no video.  Not sure what happened but as I look back at the recordings, I seem to have gotten my ON/STOP recording mixed up, lol.  I recorded things I didn't mean to, and vice versa.  I'm assuming my time was low 20 minutes.  Pull-ups/Push-ups started killing me after the 50s.   But can't move on to next item until you finish.  Still feel the pain in the bends of my arms today ;(

• 100 Pull-ups
• 100 Push-ups
• 100 Sit-ups
• 100 Squats

Saturday- I hit the high school track hoping to do four 400m dashes around it.  Yeah, um, easier said then done.  Just cause I can run hella long distances doesn't mean I can run quickly and powerful around the track.  Think my best time was about 70 to 80s.  Records are in the mid 40s.  This too was another time where I forgot to set my watch (no need, lol).  Also, I could only really do one, and then just did a 200 and a couple 100s and called it a day.  It was hot too!

Saturday PM- Next, I hit the pool with the ladies and did some tanning, lol.  Yeah, sounds weird but was fun.  Good times!  I'm trying to correct my Big Sur marathon tan line.  Finished the night with Swirls.

Sunday- Took a quick hike in Big Basin and then laid on a Santa Cruz beach and got my tan on again.  It wasn't as warm as the day before, but could still feel the tanning oil do its thing every so often.  I'm going to be a pro =)  Also, ate food at two great spots in SC.

Monday- I don't know what's in store, but after spending the weekend swimming and going to the beach, I can't wait to go outside after work.  Stay tuned.

Not your average gym...

Very short video on CNN if interested.

Ugly Hands

Well, there used to be a time where I must sadly admit, I had the softest, cutest hands possible for a dude.  I would take a pic and show you the blood and pain they are in from the many pull-ups today.. but figured I'd be nice.  This is what went down...

Sprint work:
Run 6 100 meter sprints with rest period being the walk back.

WOD:
As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
5 Pull Ups
Burpee broad jump from your bar to the stair's and back

Results: I lost count, but know I got owned!

30 People on a Pullup Bar

We took a group pic today.  Check it out.

Core. Core. Core.

Today's work out was primarily focused on our core.  I know in the morning, I'm feel it in my lower back =(

Anyway, since I'm pressed for time... I'm get straight to the workout and the results.

Technique: 10 minutes of Clean and Jerk.  Do 1 every minute. Used 85lbs perfect my form.

WOD: Perform 3 rounds of the following, rest two minutes, then repeat 3 more rounds.

• 5 Power Cleans @ 135
• 10 Back Squat's @ 135
• 15 Deadlifts @ 135

I scaled it by using my same 85lbs.  Took me about 18min to complete.

Peace!

Team Workout

On Sundays, we take part in team workouts.  They're pretty awesome because you not only encourage each other, but you are motivated to help your team to win.

Today, we had five teams of two perform a pretty grueling obstacle course outside.  It was Sunny and 78 degrees, yet felt like 100.

After our warm-up, we did two 10 min rounds of the following:

• Squat-Shoot a 20lb Medicine Ball into Tractor Tire 10 ft away
• Perform five 45lb overhead squats
• Peform five thrusters with 20-25lb dumbells in each hand
• Peform 5 slam balls
• Repeat the four stations until time is done.  Oh, and your team has to carry that 20lb ball and never drop it. Once a member finishes, you exchange the equipment for the ball.  When both completed the exercise, you run with the ball to next post.  We cover about 300m per loop.

Results: finished 3rd, but still felt like a winner because I sweat a lot and most definitly felt like I was gonna die.  Crazy how you think you succeed when you're close to death.  That's CF and a measure of giving it your all.  If you aren't tired, you didn't workout.

Aiight, time for a shower.

YOU'RE AT WAR WITH YOURSELF!

At the end of the workout, I was on my back... kinda like the end of the marathon, which takes over 5 hours, lol.. dripping in sweat, consuming a large bottle of water within seconds.

This was the warm-up...

• Run 200m
• 5 Tractor Tire Flips
• Run 200m
• 10 Back Extensions
• Run 200m
• 10 GHD Situps
• Run 200m
• 15 presses
• Run 200m
• 10 ball smalls

Then another warm-up... for 30 secs a set:

• Row
• Turkish Getups
• Bar Hang
• Box Step Ups
• Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pulls

Then we did our technique, which was light, slow back squats with a bar.

At this point, I was ready to call it a day.. but no.  Time for the WOD.  Do the two exercises in 3 rounds, 30-20-10 sets.

• 20lb Wall Ball Shots at 10ft
• Burpees 

This was a fast workout, maybe 10-11 min.  But the end of the first and second sets of 30 and 20 killed me.  I still struggle at wall balls, and my burpees were slow cuz I was so burned out.

The motivation of the day was this message written on the whiteboard... "The War Room... Bitches!" Yes, you go in there and you fight.. YOU'RE AT WAR WITH YOURSELF!

If you wanna fight, remember 9am Saturday is the free class, and we have a new location now as well.