Lesson Learned

A big lesson I learned at the certification was to play around with your programming.  Some will be good, some will suck.  The key is to experiment and see what works and what doesn't.  My plan for today's workout was to do a Tabata style workout with deadlifts, push press, and front squat.  All I have at home is 115 lbs., so that is what I will use.  For those that don't know, Tabata workouts are 8 rounds of 20 sec. of work/10 sec. of rest.  There are 2 ways to keep track, you can count your lowest rep during the 8 sets, or you can total all of the reps.  I decided to use the lowest rep.  

There were 2 lessons learned today.  1. 115 lbs is too heavy for tabata push press and front squat for me right now.  Most importantly lesson 2.  Move your head out of the way before you push the bar up over your head.  Now I know that there are people that have cut their chin doing this.  Fortunately, I was lucky enough to just graze my chin, but hit it hard enough to not make that mistake again.  

Today's programming I don't consider a failure, but it definitely was not my best effort.  Next time I pair these exercises, I can just use a lighter weight, maybe 95 lbs.  For me, I enjoy the programming aspect of Crossfit, learn from your mistakes and make changes as needed.  The possibilities are endless.

It's Like Coming Off of Crystal Meth

That was what was said at the Level 1 Certification I attended this past weekend in Ann Arbor, MI at Hyperfit USA.  First off, that gym is awesome and all of the people that instructed the class were awesome.  It made me realize a few things though.  First off, I have been a half ass crossfitter.  Meaning, I work out, but haven't really dialed in my diet.  What does all that mean?  It means that I am not unlocking my potential and in essence, I am only doing this thing half ass.

Back to why it is like coming off of crystal meth.  That is referring to changing your diet and how food is an addiction.  When you cut out sugary snacks, it can cause some real issues.  Mood swings, headaches, and can just make you an all around miserable person at first.  But once you get past that initial withdrawal, your body adjusts and you are on your way to a healthier person.  I have been ok with my diet, but I know that I have been far from strict.  I still eat sugary snacks and have not, for no other reason than being lazy, have not 100 % committed myself to it.  This weekend at the certification was a wake up call for me.  Nobody can change me but me.  And I gained some extra motivation and tools to do it this past weekend.

Fall Down, Get Back Up

I have been pretty decent with working out and my diet.  I am human though, and I will make mistakes.  When I fall off of the wagon, it has a tendency to snowball into bad days and sometimes weeks.  If I am eating bad, then I feel like crap and don't go to the gym.  It seems like if I don't stay on my diet, I don't workout.  That for me makes it twice as bad.  And vice versa, if I eat well, I want to go work out.  This week I fell down.  For a few days I have eaten like crap and as you can guess, no gym.

Today I am back on track.  Breakfast was good, and I am going to the gym before work.  I have made some meals to pack with me, so I have prepared myself for my meals.  When I don't make meals, that is when I steer off course and just grab something.  It is setting myself up for failure.  The key is to not dwell on my mistakes, but to learn from them.  I can't change the past, only what I can do from this point on.

Today's WOD:
500 m run
100 box step-ups w/db press
750 m run
100 box step-ups w/db press
500 m run

Kids are Funny

Today's workout I decided to do it at home.  I only have 115 lbs, so it is a little too heavy for me to do a full Nancy, which is 5 rounds of 15 overhead squats with 95 and a 400 m run.  I did a little different version.  I only did 4 rounds and was able to do 7 overhead squats w/115lbs.

My wife was babysitting a friend's kid today.  He came outside while I was working out and was watching me.  I almost laughed out loud in the middle of my workout because he was standing there watching me, saying "That's really heavy."  He said it a few times.  As I was lifting it, I thought that he was right, 20 lbs. makes a big difference.  And then he wanted me to watch him walk backwards.  He reminded me today why I love Crossfit, because it is fun for me.  I have fun when I workout and can laugh while I am doing it.  

Today's time-21 min. even
Tomorrow's workout-go for a run

A Great Feeling

Anytime you can get a PR (personal record) in a workout or lift, it is a great feeling.  It is motivation that the work you are doing is paying off.  This week has been great for me, because I got 2 PRs.  One in a workout, and one in a lift.  The first is workout is one of the most feared women, Fran.  It is 21-15-9 reps of thrusters w/95lbs and pull ups.  The last time I did this workout was at the station, and it was a disappointing 19 min. and some change.  Elite athletes do this under 4 min.  Also, there is a 12 min. cap for it at the Level 1 certification that I will be attending at the end of the month.  This was great for me to gauge where I am at.  All I was hoping for was to do it under 12 min.  I got it done in 11:30.  Nice.  I am hoping for an even better time at the certification.

Today's workout was Power Cleans and dips for 7-7-7-7-7-7, followed by a 1 rep attempt if you choose.  I chose to try it.  I was able to work up to 175 lbs. for my last set of 7.  Now to try and beat my PR of 195.  I got 185 x 3 reps, so I was feeling pretty good.  I jumped to 205 lbs.  and nailed it.  10 lb. PR!  This week I hit 2 PRs.  It really motivates me to continue along this journey because I can see improvements and I know that it is only going to get even better.

Get it Done

The thing about my job is the fact that I don't work normal hours.  My day today begins at 3 pm and I work until 3 am.  Not your typical 9-5.  I am not complaining because I love my job, which is more than a lot of people can say.  But, my hours don't always coincide with the hours of the gym.  And today that was the case.  I did buy some bumper weights and an olympic bar to have at home.  I have 115lbs that I can work with.  I also have a jump rope.

I wanted to keep is short and sweet today.  WOD for today: 21-15-9 reps of 115lbs ground to overhead and double unders.  After each round, I ran to the end of my street and back, .2 miles (a little less than 400 m).  I did it in a little over 18 minutes.  Not too bad.  My cool down was 30 strict deadlift w/115, working on form, and 150 singles with the jump rope.  The heat played a factor in the workout today too.  It was hot today.

I also have some added incentive for the next 30 days to kick it in to high gear.  My best friend Joe and I have a 30 day contest on who can drop the most percentage of body weight in the next 30 days.  Winner gets 9 holes of golf and a cart, but more importantly they get bragging rights.

The Great Outdoors

The weather here has been amazing the last few days.  Today I went to the gym for the Saturday morning workout and the weather was perfect.  Not humid, about 75 degrees.  Today's workout was 3 rounds of 500 m row/21 burpees/400 m run.  The entire workout today was done outside.  What a world of difference a little fresh air makes during a workout.  Sometimes, just stepping outside of the gym refreshes the whole workout.  Some fresh air makes you feel a little less constricted, confined by the walls of the box.

I also introduced a friend of mine, Tim,  to Crossfit today.  He was pretty athletic already, so this workout was good for him.  He did beat me by 3 minutes, but I had revenge on the cool down.  At the gym, they have a 375 lb. tire.  The owner, Bill, said he had a cool down challenge for us.  Since my friend Tim was new, we would flip the tire back and forth til 1 person quit.  I flip, then Tim flips, I flip, and so on.  We got to the 3 min. mark of flipping and Bill upped the ante.  After each flip, jump up on the tire and jump off, like a box jump.  Tim was done after a few of those, and sweet revenge was mine.  What a great way to end a great workout, with a little friendly competition.  I think today Tim was bit by the Crossfit bug.