Sunday=5k fun day

I have decided that Sundays are going to be referred to as 5k fun days.  This means either run or row a 5k.  Today I decided that I would row.  My original goal was to finish in under 25 min.  This meant that I needed to average under 2:30 for 500 m.  Shouldn't be too bad.  I ended up finishing in 22:02, just about 3 min. under my original goal.  I now have a baseline to judge for the future.  This should be my slowest time.  I am hoping that it only gets better.  Next Sunday will be a run.

Nancy is an S.O.B.

I have been getting back into the swing of things by doing workouts on my own again.  I recently have left going to a Crossfit gym and joined Powerhouse Gym, solely based on money.  It's $12/month.  So between that gym and the one at work, I have everything I need to do pretty much any crossfit workout.  Today I decided to revisit one of the benchmark WODs, Nancy.  The female named wods have a tendency to be horrific.  And let me tell you this about Nancy, she is a bi**h.

Here is what Nancy entails, 5 rounds of 400 m run and 15 Overhead Squats (OHS) w/95 lbs.  I told myself that no matter how long it took, I was going to do it prescribed.  I am not a fast runner, and my best time ever has been around 25 min.  Round 1 and 2, not so bad.  I ran at 6 mph on the treadmill and broke the OHS into 2 sets, 8 reps and 7 reps.  Round 3 is when it started to kick my butt.  I had to drop the speed down to 5 mph, but the reps were the same for OHS.  The last round I bumped the speed back up to 5.7 mph and was going to try and do the last set of OHS unbroken, meaning without stopping or putting the weight down.  I got to my 11th rep on OHS and my arms started coming forward and I couldn't bring the bar back, actually dropping it on my head.  Not hard, but just enough to annoy me, not hurt me.  I let out a four letter word, dropped the bar and picked it back up to finish the last 4 reps.  Time!  31 min 25 sec.  Not my best, but hey, I finished and that is all that matters.  And in usual form, I fell over onto the floor, lying there in my sweat angel and catching my breath.

I've Been Hit by a Train!

Today, as I walked into the gym, I realized that the WOD that was on the board was going to suck.  My legs still hurt from Tuesday's squats, and today called for medicine ball cleans, a lot of them.  First though, there was a skill/strength WOD.  It was snatch balance for 3-3-3-3-3, working your way to a 3 rep max.  The snatch balance is something I have never done, so it should be interesting.  For those that don't know what a snatch balance is, it is when you take the bar in a snatch width grip from off of your back.  As you press it up over your head and lock out your arms, you drop into a full snatch catch, going below parallel.  Then you stand up in an overhead squat with your arms still locked out.  That's 1 rep.  I was very pleased, because I got my last set of 3 with 135 lbs.  My pr in OHS (overhead squat) was 95 for 1, so today was starting off great.  A huge PR!

Now, onto the WOD, where I got run over by a train.  It was a couplet, meaning 2 exercises paired together, of 30-25-20-15-10-5 reps of medicine ball cleans (20 lb ball) and push ups.  While you may think that a 20 lb med ball isn't that bad for the cleans, let me reassure you that it is.  I made it through the workout rx'd in 20 ish or 22 ish minutes, I can't remember.  It was the first time in a while that when I finished the workout and was lying on the ground that I felt like I was run over by a train.  I was on the floor in a puddle of sweat, gasping for air to catch my breath.  Some may think, "Holy crap, you shouldn't put yourself through that kind of torture.  Don't go as hard and you won't feel like that."  It is the opposite though.  That is a great feeling for me, because I know that I am pushing myself to be better and pushing myself to be in better shape.  So, getting hit by a train is not necessarily a bad thing.  Choo Choo!

Ain't so Bad.

When you think that about a work out, it usually means the opposite.  Today was a perfect example.  First part of today's workout was Hanging Power Cleans, 3-3-3-3-3 reps, working up to your 3 rep max.  Previously, I had only done 200 lbs. for 1 rep.  I started with 135 and ended my last set with 210 lbs.  That is a huge PR for me.  I was happy with that.

Now it was time to move on to the WOD.  On the white board it didn't look so bad, 21-15-9 reps of Bodyweight back squat and KB swings.  I modified the squats to 205 lbs. and the swings were rx'd at 55 lbs.  I got about 10 reps into the workout and realized that 205 was a bad idea.  It felt fairly heavy.  But here's the deal, you pick the weight, you are married to it.  I would do my workout with what I had chosen, no matter how long it took me.  There is no dropping the weight half way through because it is too hard.  I made it through, and my time was around 12min, 12 sec.  Then I collapsed in a puddle of sweat and tried to catch my breath.  Lesson learned, it is always bad, even if it appears to be not so bad.

There May be Something to This Diet

The holidays have come and gone, so now it is time to get back on track.  Like everyone else, January is t time for me to get myself back in the swing of things of eating well and working out.  It has been a week since I went back to a paleo/healthy eating style.  I have worked out once this week, and will be working out another 3 days.  With that being said, diet plays a crucial role in losing weight.  I got up this afternoon (which is my morning because I work nights) and stepped on the scale a little nervous.  I have been feeling a ton better lately because of the changed eating.  So, after a week of eating healthy, I have lost 9 lbs.  I know that majority of it is water, but hey, 9 lbs. is 9 lbs. and I'll take it.  It is the encouragement I needed to keep me moving towards my long term goal.  Do I expect to lose this much every week?  Of course not.  But hey, it's a good start.

I Have a Complex

Thanks to Coca Crossfit today, I have a complex.  Some of you may wonder what I am talking about.  A complex is a group of exercises, where you use 1 bar and 1 weight for all of the movements.  Since the holidays are over, it was time for me to get my butt back to the gym.  What better way then with a snatch complex.  Today's workout was a 12 min AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) of 6 snatch deadlifts, 4 hanging power snatches and 2 overhead squats.

I hear 3,2,1,go...and I'm off like a bat out of hell.  I had 2 rounds done in under a minute.  If I was able to keep that pace up I was looking at 24 rounds.  That was a short lived fantasy.  Then my lack of crossfitting lately caught up with me.  I compare myself right now to a gator.  I'm fast out of the gate, but I only have so much before I'm gassed.  I hit the wall about round 5 and my cardio started catching up.  I ended up with 11 rds. plus 2 deadlifts.  I didn't use a ton of weight today, but it was enough to where my form didn't suffer and I was smoked.  It was a good feeling to be back in the gym, now I just have to make sure I keep it up.

Time for a New Year, but Why Wait?

So, as 2010 ends, it is time to start thinking about 2011 and what I want to do.  I have been disappointed with my weight loss this year and only have myself to blame.  With that being said, why wait until Jan. to begin changing my ways.  It starts with a day, and today was that day.  Not in 2 weeks.  There is no reason to procrastinate just so that I can overindulge for the holidays.  To make a life style change you need to be able to be comfortable in any situation, including the holidays.  So, I am not waiting 2 weeks.  I have begun trying to better myself in all aspects of my life as of right now.  Because if I put it off, it makes it that much easier to keep putting off.

A big goal of mine besides the weight loss, is to learn the POSE method of running.  I attended a 3 hour clinic this past Sat.  One thing that I learned is that I suck at running, but with a few tweaks and some practice, I can become efficient at it.  It is going to take some practice, but not an overwhelming amount.  I figure after these next 6 weeks, which would be around Feb. 1, I should have a grasp of it and be on my way to more efficient running.  While I have several things that I plan on working on in this upcoming year, these are my 2 biggest.  Once I am lighter, a lot of the other exercises and everyday tasks will just be easier.  So I ask you, why wait until next year when you can start right now?