Can I Outwork A Bad Diet?
4 months ago
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
"GI Jane"
This was Sunday's workout at CrossFit Regina, but I did it today, because I'm resting my back after tweaking it during Fight Gone Bad. I need to heal up for Saturday.
100 burpee pull-ups, or "burpulls" for time.
Basically, you drop down, do the push-up part of the burpee, and when you get up for the jump, you jump up to the pull-up bar and do a pull-up. To do it rx'd, you do it to the 8-foot bar, and that's a bit of a leap for me, since I'm only 5'9". I usually take a step back and do a step into a two-footed jump. I have to jump to grab the bar, and then do a kipping pull-up. If I was taller, I could just do a jumping pull-up, which would knock a bit of time off.
It took me 18:25. I think I took like three minutes off the last time I did it, but there's still lots of room for improvement there. The worst part was that I couldn't keep track of my reps, even though I was marking off every set of ten. I may have done a few more than 100, or possibly a few less, though I try to not give myself the benefit of the doubt.
I didn't use any tape, but hands didn't rip, which I'm glad about.
100 burpee pull-ups, or "burpulls" for time.
Basically, you drop down, do the push-up part of the burpee, and when you get up for the jump, you jump up to the pull-up bar and do a pull-up. To do it rx'd, you do it to the 8-foot bar, and that's a bit of a leap for me, since I'm only 5'9". I usually take a step back and do a step into a two-footed jump. I have to jump to grab the bar, and then do a kipping pull-up. If I was taller, I could just do a jumping pull-up, which would knock a bit of time off.
It took me 18:25. I think I took like three minutes off the last time I did it, but there's still lots of room for improvement there. The worst part was that I couldn't keep track of my reps, even though I was marking off every set of ten. I may have done a few more than 100, or possibly a few less, though I try to not give myself the benefit of the doubt.
I didn't use any tape, but hands didn't rip, which I'm glad about.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Fight Gone Bad: Well, THAT'S a bit of a surprise
318. Previous best was 291. A year ago, I did 256 on Sept. 27.
That score is a bit of a because we had some people over last night and there were Jell-o shooters (I lost count) and cheese fondue. I wasn't super hungover today, but I did feel a bit off.
I also did the workout solo. Everyone else who showed up to do it all went in the first round. Some of their scores may have suffered a bit because of the gym's configuration and some confusion about which station to hit next.
When it was my turn, I made sure the barbell and boxjump were nice and close to the rower and wallball to make sure the transitions were quick, since I didn't have to worry about getting in anyone else's way. That helped a bit, but it was the steady encouragement from Christine, Julie and Leya that really drove this score. I'm pretty happy with it.
That score is a bit of a because we had some people over last night and there were Jell-o shooters (I lost count) and cheese fondue. I wasn't super hungover today, but I did feel a bit off.
I also did the workout solo. Everyone else who showed up to do it all went in the first round. Some of their scores may have suffered a bit because of the gym's configuration and some confusion about which station to hit next.
When it was my turn, I made sure the barbell and boxjump were nice and close to the rower and wallball to make sure the transitions were quick, since I didn't have to worry about getting in anyone else's way. That helped a bit, but it was the steady encouragement from Christine, Julie and Leya that really drove this score. I'm pretty happy with it.
Friday, September 25, 2009
"Friday With No Two Pizzas" and Vaseline on my ass
The name of the WOD comes from a quote from an episode of "Friends," which is Robin's favourite show. You can see the full quote on the second comment here.
For time, four rounds of:
400m run
50 sit-ups
50 sumo deadlift high pulls (45lbs)
That's a lot of sit-ups. And the problem with me and sit-ups is that once I do a certain amount, I get a blister on my inside right buttock, just outside the crack, at the point where the tailbone makes contact with the floor, causing friction. The technical CrossFit term for this is "Monkey Butt."
200 sit-ups would normally mean a few days of really uncomfortable sitting, along with occasional urges to throw my feces at people who anger me.
However, for the first time, I used a trick that Simon passed on a while back. He said the trick was to reduce the friction between your ass and the floor using Vaseline or something like that. It worked pretty well, I gotta say. No Monkey Butt.
As for the workout, it was tough. After the first round, I knew it was going to suck bad, as my running, sit-ups, and SDHPs all slowed down considerably. I had the Janimal on my tail the whole time.
25:56. We didn't have time to do the "Three Minute Fran" that was also on the books. Oh well.
For time, four rounds of:
400m run
50 sit-ups
50 sumo deadlift high pulls (45lbs)
That's a lot of sit-ups. And the problem with me and sit-ups is that once I do a certain amount, I get a blister on my inside right buttock, just outside the crack, at the point where the tailbone makes contact with the floor, causing friction. The technical CrossFit term for this is "Monkey Butt."
200 sit-ups would normally mean a few days of really uncomfortable sitting, along with occasional urges to throw my feces at people who anger me.
However, for the first time, I used a trick that Simon passed on a while back. He said the trick was to reduce the friction between your ass and the floor using Vaseline or something like that. It worked pretty well, I gotta say. No Monkey Butt.
As for the workout, it was tough. After the first round, I knew it was going to suck bad, as my running, sit-ups, and SDHPs all slowed down considerably. I had the Janimal on my tail the whole time.
25:56. We didn't have time to do the "Three Minute Fran" that was also on the books. Oh well.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
"Elizabeth"
For time:
21-15-9
135lb cleans
Ring dips
Sometimes, you gotta get humbled by the CrossFit gods. This WOD combines two of my weaknesses into one neat little package. But I guess you can't get better if you don't try, right?
It took me 22:11.
I definitely wasted too much time between reps, especially on the cleans. I'd do one, ditch it, and have to re-psych myself up for the next one. I'm still a little freaked out by the 135lbs. Going in, I knew it was going to take me a long time, but I could have increased my intensity level. I'd like to try this again in a month or so.
This is one of those times I wish I hadn't looked on YouTube for an example video, because I see a bunch of dudes with 5- and 7-minute times.
Afterward, we had to do 6 x 15 Double Unders. The 15s had to be unbroken, or you start that set again. I managed to do them all unbroken. For people who did that, they then have to do a bonus set of max DUs. After a couple of "warm-ups" of 2 and 3, I managed 16.
Overheard at the Gym...
Tyler, the last one to finish his workout, is the last one packing up to leave.
Franz: "Alright, get out of the gym. I want to get home. I've got a beautiful woman sleeping in my bed."
Tyler: "Don't you live with your aunt?"
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
25 Ring Dips... and then another 25
On days I don't go to CFR I am going to work on my ring dips.
Tonight, I started slowly, with 25 for time. It took me 5:30, which is fucking terrible.
I walked the dogs (not for time), then gave it another shot. On the second go-round, it took me 6:35.
I just checked the CrossFit Regina website and tomorrow's WOD is "Elizabeth" (21-15-9 ring dips and 135lb squat cleans) which is gonna suck.
Tonight, I started slowly, with 25 for time. It took me 5:30, which is fucking terrible.
I walked the dogs (not for time), then gave it another shot. On the second go-round, it took me 6:35.
I just checked the CrossFit Regina website and tomorrow's WOD is "Elizabeth" (21-15-9 ring dips and 135lb squat cleans) which is gonna suck.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Have CrossFit, will travel
The guys at CrossFit Las Vegas have posted a link to a PDF document that has all kinds of exercises you can do without equipment. Here's the link.
Overhead squats, Tabata mash-up, falling on my ass
Today, we started off with OHS, in 3-3-3-3-3.
After Saturday, I wasn't sure that I could do much more OHS than the 115lb we were prescribed. The good part was that we could take it from the rack and not have to snatch it to get it above our heads.
I did 135lbs, and probably could have gone a little heavier, maybe five or 10 pounds more, but we were already running late. At least I know for next time.
Then it was time for the Tabata mash-up, alternating with 20-inch box jumps and push-ups.
As I was doing a couple of box jumps to warm up, I managed to kick the box out from underneath me on the jump-off and land on my ass and elbow. The landing didn't feel great, but the only thing that was really hurt was my pride. The box in question is the one at CFR that has a base that isn't much wider than the top.
I switched to a 24-inch box for the Tabata. Ended up with 72 jumps and 68 push-ups, for a total of 140.
After Saturday, I wasn't sure that I could do much more OHS than the 115lb we were prescribed. The good part was that we could take it from the rack and not have to snatch it to get it above our heads.
I did 135lbs, and probably could have gone a little heavier, maybe five or 10 pounds more, but we were already running late. At least I know for next time.
Then it was time for the Tabata mash-up, alternating with 20-inch box jumps and push-ups.
As I was doing a couple of box jumps to warm up, I managed to kick the box out from underneath me on the jump-off and land on my ass and elbow. The landing didn't feel great, but the only thing that was really hurt was my pride. The box in question is the one at CFR that has a base that isn't much wider than the top.
I switched to a 24-inch box for the Tabata. Ended up with 72 jumps and 68 push-ups, for a total of 140.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Gearing up for the Games
Today, participants in the upcoming Saskatchewan CrossFit Games (co-organized by the Regina and Saskatoon affiliates) were invited to do two workouts, one at 9am and the other at noon, in order to begin to get used to what it's going to be like in a couple of weeks.
9am
Three rounds of:
12 x 115 lb overhead squats
12 x 24" box jumps
12 x chest-to-bar pull-ups
We were given a 15 minute time limit to do this, and each competitor was assigned someone to count our reps and make sure our form was perfect. I was lucky to have Ferrah do mine. She provided just the right amount of steady encouragement throughout.
The worst part of this was the overhead squats. Actually, getting the 115 lbs overhead with a snatch was very tough, so it actually probably helped my time in a way, because it made me more reluctant to drop it. The first set of 12, I was able to do all of the squats uninterrupted. Getting low enough without losing my balance was a big challenge. I did end up falling on my ass during the second set. Always fun.
Somehow, I managed to finish with a time of 8:18, which was the best time of the day. I attribute it mostly to Brad Flood being next to me. I was finishing my squats a bit faster than him, but then we'd move to box jumps and he was popping up and down like it was completely effortless. (Note to self: Do more box jumps) It was everything I could do to just try to stay ahead of him.
12pm
At 9am, all we knew about the noon workout was that it would involve a salt bag. I joked, "Hey, after the 115 lb overhead squats, a 45 lb salt bag will feel light."
I should have known better.
With two saltbags in an oversized army surplus duffel bag:
400m run (yep, carrying the 90 lb bag anyway you like, without using the straps).
30 clean and jerks with the bag. ("Grace")
Climb the rope and ring the bell (thankfully, not carrying the two salt bags with you.)
I was placed in the second heat, which means I had to count for one of the competitors, James, who's an absolute animal and one of CFR's most elite athletes. That's when it hit home just how frickin' hard this workout was going to be. James's weighted 400m run was faster than a lot of people's regular 400m time, but he looked like he was going through Hell on the C&Js. He finished in just over 10 minutes, which was pretty incredible. Here's a video of BrianB doing C&Js with the bag. BrianB is in awesome shape, so watching this should tell you how tough this workout was.
After ripping up my hand on a rope dismount a few weeks back, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of a rope climb. But after seeing how the other competitors did in the first heat, I figured that I probably wouldn't finish the 30 C&Js before the 13 minute time limit, so it wouldn't be an issue.
When it was my turn, I had a pretty good time on the 400m, but it was very tough to get any kind of speed on the C&Js. I was taking way too long between the reps, but James was very good at keeping me going, making me aware of the time and giving me advice on the best way to keep the bag jerkable. He said my form got better and faster as I got toward the end. Part of that was just me wanting to get done so I wouldn't have to do it anymore.
I finally got done the 30 C&Js at around 11:00, so it was time to climb the rope. I took a quick drink, chalked my hands, and got on the rope. If I was fresher, I would have tried it no-hands, but today I needed my feet, too. Although I'm not sure how much spreading my knees out bowlegged and pinching the rope between my feet really helped. When I finally got to the top, it took a fair amount of willpower to get one hand off the rope to ring the bell at 11:50. This time, I climbed down and emerged free of any hand trauma.
9am
Three rounds of:
12 x 115 lb overhead squats
12 x 24" box jumps
12 x chest-to-bar pull-ups
We were given a 15 minute time limit to do this, and each competitor was assigned someone to count our reps and make sure our form was perfect. I was lucky to have Ferrah do mine. She provided just the right amount of steady encouragement throughout.
The worst part of this was the overhead squats. Actually, getting the 115 lbs overhead with a snatch was very tough, so it actually probably helped my time in a way, because it made me more reluctant to drop it. The first set of 12, I was able to do all of the squats uninterrupted. Getting low enough without losing my balance was a big challenge. I did end up falling on my ass during the second set. Always fun.
Somehow, I managed to finish with a time of 8:18, which was the best time of the day. I attribute it mostly to Brad Flood being next to me. I was finishing my squats a bit faster than him, but then we'd move to box jumps and he was popping up and down like it was completely effortless. (Note to self: Do more box jumps) It was everything I could do to just try to stay ahead of him.
12pm
At 9am, all we knew about the noon workout was that it would involve a salt bag. I joked, "Hey, after the 115 lb overhead squats, a 45 lb salt bag will feel light."
I should have known better.
With two saltbags in an oversized army surplus duffel bag:
400m run (yep, carrying the 90 lb bag anyway you like, without using the straps).
30 clean and jerks with the bag. ("Grace")
Climb the rope and ring the bell (thankfully, not carrying the two salt bags with you.)
I was placed in the second heat, which means I had to count for one of the competitors, James, who's an absolute animal and one of CFR's most elite athletes. That's when it hit home just how frickin' hard this workout was going to be. James's weighted 400m run was faster than a lot of people's regular 400m time, but he looked like he was going through Hell on the C&Js. He finished in just over 10 minutes, which was pretty incredible. Here's a video of BrianB doing C&Js with the bag. BrianB is in awesome shape, so watching this should tell you how tough this workout was.
After ripping up my hand on a rope dismount a few weeks back, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of a rope climb. But after seeing how the other competitors did in the first heat, I figured that I probably wouldn't finish the 30 C&Js before the 13 minute time limit, so it wouldn't be an issue.
When it was my turn, I had a pretty good time on the 400m, but it was very tough to get any kind of speed on the C&Js. I was taking way too long between the reps, but James was very good at keeping me going, making me aware of the time and giving me advice on the best way to keep the bag jerkable. He said my form got better and faster as I got toward the end. Part of that was just me wanting to get done so I wouldn't have to do it anymore.
I finally got done the 30 C&Js at around 11:00, so it was time to climb the rope. I took a quick drink, chalked my hands, and got on the rope. If I was fresher, I would have tried it no-hands, but today I needed my feet, too. Although I'm not sure how much spreading my knees out bowlegged and pinching the rope between my feet really helped. When I finally got to the top, it took a fair amount of willpower to get one hand off the rope to ring the bell at 11:50. This time, I climbed down and emerged free of any hand trauma.
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