Danny - 101115

Rounds in 20 min of:
24" box jump, 30 reps
115 pound push press, 20 reps
30 pull-ups



NOTES/MODS:
Rounds in 20 min of:
20" box jump (step up), 30 reps
95 pound push press, 20 reps
30 pull-ups (green band for first 41, jumping pull-ups after that)

RESULTS: 2 + 34

PREVIOUS:
3 + 33
12" step-up
75lb push-press
30 ring-rows

The Bear - 101101

RESULT:
1: 65#
2: 75#
3: 85#
4: 95#
5: 115#
(no broken sets)

NOTES:

Still have a way to go on my front-rack position. Squat form (front and back) is much improved, but more work to be done there also.

:) Beware of 'bar hickies' right in the center of the back of your neck. I'll have to work technique on bringing the bar down on my back with better form.

Mobility Training - 1RM OHS

We did a 1RM overhead squat on Monday this week.  While I've gotten stronger since I did this for the first time quite awhile ago, I went from 115# to 165#.  I have to give most of the credit for this to increasing my mobility.  For more information on mobility training, check out Kelly Starret's blog at MobilityWOD...

I also have a blog post on mobility on the Crossfit Troy website if you'd like to check it out.

Helen - 100909

I did Helen for the first time today. Forgot to write down my time though so I'll have to grab that and post it tomorrow.  Sometime between 16 - 17 minutes though I think.

Pullups:
I used a 'smaller' band (harder) for the pullups than I've used in a workout before, taking advantage of the fact there's only 36 of them in the workout. 

Kettlebell swings:
I used the 44lb kettlebell, basically because all the 1.5 pood were taken, and I really didn't feel like using the 2 pood.  Went unbroken the first two sets.  Broke the third into 12/9 because my grip was shot from the pullups.

Running:
Substituted 400m rows for the runs because my heel has been bugging me again.

RESULT: 16:55

[41/300]

Psyching Myself Out

We did a 1RM front squat today.  Though I got a PR (205#, up from 195#), I felt like I could have done more.  My rack position is a lot better than it used to be.  My hip flexibility is better, and I'm stronger as well.  I probably could have done 225# (or at least 215#).  So what gives???

I psyched myself out.

The 205# was hard, but I felt pretty strong doing it though.  I had two problems.  The first is that I came a little forward onto the balls of my feet as I was coming up.  I doubted my flexibility and ability to make the higher lift as a result.  The second item was that I tried changing to a crossover grip for a 225# attempt.  It just felt weird.  This also added to the doubt that I could make 225#.  Looking back, given my state of mind at the time, I think it was a good call to stop where I did.  I didn't have the confidence that I would make 225#.  If I don't 'know' that I'm going to make a lift, then I'm not going to make the lift whether I attempt it or not.

Cindy - 100902

So the last time I did Cindy was about 2 months ago.  That time I scored 12 + 3 rounds.  Modifications were doing jumping pullups and doing pushups on my knees.  Used the same mods this time around and hit 13 + 24 rounds, adding almost 2 rounds in 2 months.  Last time it was also about 95deg. in the gym, so I'm sure that had something to do with the difference.

I'm behind the group one week on the Wendler cycle.  My body was telling me it needed a break a couple weeks ago so I did one less CF workout that week, and took the week off from Wendler.  Started the second cycle this past week, and things seem to be going pretty well.  Other than bench press, everything seems to be improving.  Though I actually did the bench a few minutes after doing Cindy (140 pushups), so that number being low is to be expected.  :-)   Results for this last week are below...



WENDLER - SECOND CYCLE: WEEK01

STRICT PRESS
(140# 1RM)
Money round: 115# x 10 reps

DEADLIFT
(345# 1RM)
Money round: 280# x 10 reps

BENCH PRESS
(205# 1RM)
Money round: 165# x 6 reps

BACK SQUAT
(275# 1RM)
Money round: 225# x 12 reps

I Get a Gold Star

Well... actually... I'm giving myself a gold star.  I did 90 (assisted) pull-ups in a workout yesterday.  45 more than I had ever done in a workout before.  Yea!!! 


WOD: Eva
Run 800 meters
2 pood Kettlebell swing, 30 reps
30 Pull-ups
5 Rounds
 
Note: Modified to three rounds, used 44lb kettlebell, and used black band for assisted pull-ups.  Still took me about 40 minutes.  :-)
 
 
Eva example...
 

StreetFighter Endurance Challenge

Just found out tonight that Crossfit Troy is going to have a special challenge for Fight Gone Bad 5 this year.  They're having what they call a StreetFighter Endurance Challenge, and I am SO doing it!  Now if I can only figure out why I actually get enjoyment out of putting myself through stuff like that. Who knows.  Should be a real test, and a lot of fun!

Today's WOD:
Ground to Overhead, any weight, anyhow, max weight moved in 7 minutes.

75lb barbell * 70 reps C&J = 5,250lbs moved in 7 minutes.

Re-examining

OK... so getting the posts up for every workout with the results has become tedious... already. It shouldn't be tedious, it should be fun! If it's tedious, then there's something wrong and it's time to re-examine how and why I'm going about things. So here's what I'm thinking. Very basically, I want to...

• List my Fitness goals.
• Track and comment on my progress towards those goals.

So, for the goals I already have a few that I've shared with others, but I'm going to re-evaluate those as well and see where I might want to make changes. As far as tracking progress that may be best done by noting the benchmark stuff. Workouts where I'll be doing them again in the future at some point so I can make a comparison and see if I'm any better.

I'm considering using performance on workouts as my main tool of measurement, and just not even weighing myself at all. At least resorting it to secondary status. The reason being that if I improve workout performance (especially in bodyweight type workouts) weight loss will happen automagically! It will be a side-effect of my efforts to improve performance. If I want to get, say, 25 rounds in Cindy, then it just ain't gonna happen if I weigh 300 lbs. (or if it does, just start calling me Superman!). :P

In re-evaluating, I think I'm more motivated by performance. Saying I've lost a bunch of weight would be (and has been in the past) pretty cool. But being able to say that I did a 25 round Cindy as Rx would be pretty freaking awesome!

I'm remembering the Kelly Starret vid where he's talking to the trainers telling him how what he does isn't as cool as some of the other Crossfit subject matter experts. That he's the f'ing stretching guy. Ha! :D He goes on to explain that he sells it by telling you that it will increase your performance. You will get a faster time, be able to lift more, be able to jump higher. Similar thing here. If my main 'vision' is to be able to absolutely kill any and all Crossfit WODs (be really good at any type of workout for any non-Crossfitters reading this), in order to make significant progress towards that goal then everything else (eating 'right', working out regularly, etc) will have no other chance but to happen.

Progress Monday - 100809

So the body fat % reading keeps jumping around quite a bit. Though I would love to believe it this week, it's just too low. So to address this, and because I'm a dork, I'm going to make an adjustment so I can hopefully reduce the extreme jumps up and down in the BF%.

I'll be taking a reading every day, then remove the high and low BF% for the week, and also the high and low weight for the week. I'll then take the average of the remaining readings. The average is what I'll use for the measurements come Monday.


-------------------------------------
Beginning (6/14/10)
Weight: 304.2 lbs
%BF: 39.6 %
Waist: 55.125 in.
lbs fat: 120.4632 lbs
non fat: 183.7368

This Week (8 weeks)
Weight: 296.8 lbs
%BF: 31.8 %
Waist: 54.25 in.
lbs fat: 94.3824 lbs
non fat: 202.4176

Difference
Weight: -7.4 lbs
%BF: -7.8 %
Waist: -0.875 in.
lbs fat: -26.0808 lbs
muscle gained: 18.6808 lbs
-------------------------------------

WOD - Tuesday - 100810

WENDLER | WEEK3: DEADLIFT 345# 1RM)
Money round: 300# - 5 reps
(Felt like I might have been able to get 1, maybe 2 more reps. I let the ~95deg. heat take it away from me though.)


WOD:

20 Push Press (30# DB)
10 Burpees
20 Weighted Situps (35# KB)
10 Burpees
20 Box Jumps (12")
10 Burpees
2 Rounds


Time: ???


NOTES:
Went to an evening class this day. Since it was about 95deb. out at the time, decided to Blue level instead of the normal red. Have I ever said that burpees suck?! Then the heat makes them an extra special treat!!! Yea burpees!

It was probably a good choice to reduce the reps today. Doing more than I did would have just been an exercise in slogging through the suck, which can be done when actually needed, but I don't think would have added much additional training effect.

WOD - Monday - 100809

WENDLER | WEEK3: STRICT PRESS 140# 1RM)
Money round: 125# - 6 reps


WOD:

Choppers (44# KB) - Goblet Squats (44# KB)

20 - 1
19 - 2
18 - 3
17 - 4
16 - 5
15 - 6
14 - 7
13 - 8
12 - 9
11 - 10
10 - 11
9 - 12
8 - 13
7 - 14
6 - 15
5 - 16
4 - 17
3 - 18
2 - 19
1 - 20


Time cap at 25 min., had about 4 rounds to go.

WOD - Friday - 100806

WENDLER | WEEK2: BACK SQUAT(275# 1RM)
Money round: 185# - 14 reps
(Doh! The last set should have been 225# this week. I was wondering why it felt so easy as I was doing the set. Found out afterwards.)


WOD:

1 Rep Max Clean & Jerk

175#
(power clean - at some point I want to work more on technique. Through building strength in a full ROM squat through Wendler, and when I get the technique and confidence to do a clean with full ROM, I think my 1RM clean is going to make a fairly siginificant jump.)

Then...

1 Rep Max Weighted Box Jump

20" box
45# dumbbell in each hand
(...at a body-weight of 298#. Had to add that. :))

Progress Monday - 100802

Quick and dirty this week since I'm behind on posts...


-------------------------------
Beginning (6/14/10)
Weight: 304.2 lbs
%BF: 39.6 %
Waist: 55.125 in.
lbs fat: 120.4632 lbs
non fat: 183.7368

This Week (7 weeks)
Weight: 296.8 lbs
%BF: 38.5 %
Waist: 54.25 in.
lbs fat: 114.268 lbs
non fat: 182.532

Difference
Weight: -7.4 lbs
%BF: -1.1 %
Waist: -0.875 in.
lbs fat: -6.1952 lbs
muscle gained: -1.2048 lbs
-------------------------------

WOD - Wednesday - 100804

WENDLER | WEEK2: BENCH PRESS(205# 1RM)
Money round: 165# - 11 reps


WOD:

Hang Power Cleans (95#)
Push ups with hand release at bottom
Run 100m (after each set of Push ups)
10-8-6-4-2

6:04


NOTES:
Tear on my right hand from power snatches the other day so I used a little lighter weight on the HP cleans. Would have liked to use 115# for this one. Did regular push-ups instead of on the knees for the 'added weight'. Felt really strong today. The HP cleans @ 95# actually felt light. I feel weird saying that, because I still remember shortly after I first started Crossfit not being entirely sure that I'd be able to clean 95# one time.

WOD - Tuesday - 100803 - Michael

WENDLER | WEEK2: DEAD LIFT (345# 1RM)
Money round: 285# - 8 reps
(changed the 1RM for DL to 345 from 365 as 365 was an older figure, and to better match the number of reps I'm getting with the other lifts.)


WOD: "Michael"

Run 800m
50 Supermen
50 Situps
3 Rounds

32:31

WOD - Monday - 100802

WENDLER | WEEK2: STRICT PRESS (140# 1RM)
Money round: 120# - 6 reps


WOD:

15 Power Snatch (70#)
200m Sprint
15 Wall Ball Shots Unbroken (20#)
1 Min. Rest
4 Rounds

17:23

WOD - Friday - 100730

WENDLER | WEEK1: SQUAT (275# 1RM)
Money round: 215# - 9 reps


WOD:

30 OH Plate Lunges 1+1=2 (35# plate)
15 Box Dips
AMRAP in 12 min

2 + 17
Lunges are a goat for me. Holding the plate overhead wasn't the problem.


CD
1 rep Max Box Jump for height.

28"
Not hateful at a weight of about 297#.

WOD - Thursday - 100729

WENDLER | WEEK1: BENCH PRESS(205# 1RM)
Money round: 160# - 9 reps


WOD:

1 Min. DB Hang Power Snatch (30# dbs)
1 Min. Double Unders
1 Min. DB Push ups (on knees)
1 Min. Double Unders
1 Min. Plank Rows 1+1=2
1 Min. Rest.
3 Rounds

(Record total number of reps for workout and a sperate score for double unders. Divide regular jumps by 4 to score.)



Round1: 26 - 8 - 23 - 9 - 24
Round2: 17 - 11 - 19 - 12 - 18
Round3: 18 - 9 - 17 - 6 - 20

Reps: 182
DU: 55

WOD - Tuesday - 100727

WENDLER | WEEK1: DEADLIFT (365# 1RM)
Money round: 285# - 6 reps


WOD:

Med Ball Situps (20#)
Back Squats (135#)
10-8-6-4-2
Then...

40 Warrior Burpees
Then...

Box Jumps (20")
Shuttle Run Down & Back
1-3-5-7-9


28:57