Fitness - Dead Lifts & KB Swing/Burpee WOD - 11/30

I'm still really sore from Saturday's Level 2 met-con class. My forearms, back, chest, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders. . . pretty much all over is still feeling it. And wouldn't you know it, heavy dead lifts and a short, but heavy EMOTM was on the white board for today.

Focus: 5x5 Dead lifts, working up to heaviest possible set
1x5 - 130 Kg (286.6#)
1x5 - 150 Kg (330.7#)
1x5 - 160 Kg (352.7#)
1x5 - 165 Kg (363.7#)
1x5 - 170 Kg (374.8#)

After I stretched, warmed up my legs a little and got a few sets in, I started to get into this. I feel really good about my effort today on deads. It's the heaviest I've ever gone with a set of 5, by a lot. I remember when I could barely get 160 off the ground for one rep. And just a month or so ago I could barely get 180 Kg off the ground. Now I'm doing sets of 5 at 170 Kg. I like it.

WOD: EMOTM (every minute on the minute) for 15 minutes of:
5 burpees
10 2 arm kettle bell swings - 32 Kg (70#)

Score/Time: N/A
Calories burned (focus & WOD): 651

This WOD is the brain child of Jess, a new coach who helps out a few mornings a week, and it kicked my ass. The burpees didn't really start to ware on me until about round 10. The Swings however, got to me pretty quick. Mostly because my hamstrings and glutes were still really sore, as well as my arms and shoulders, so it became pretty tough just to hold on to the 70# bell. The swings just seemed to drain a lot of energy from me today.

The idea was to sprint through the burpees and swings as fast as possible and rest for the remainder of the minute. I was finishing with about 30 seconds of rest before the next minute. That turned into about 20 seconds at minute 8, and the last 2 rounds I only left myself about 12-15 seconds rest. It was brutal.

Nutrition - 11/30

6:00 pm (fasted food until this meal)
6 oz. organic grass fed ground beef - saute'ed with evoo, garlic, white onion, red bell pepper, lime juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, hot sauce.
Salad - 3 cups mixed greens (kale, swiss chard, arugula, spinach), 1/2 cup cherry toms, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/2 cup sliced tomatoes, 3 radishes.
3 Tbsp home made paleo dressing

9:30 pm
2 links Insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
1/4 cup walnuts
3 celery stalks

Fitness - Level 2 WOD - 11/28

For today's Level 2 workout we did something a little different. A couple of guys and I put something together that is going to be a regular occurrence from now on.

There was no skill work today because Dave closed the gym for the holiday weekend. No gymnastics stuff or anything like that. But one of the other coaches said he would open it and facilitate our session. A couple of us have been talking about getting together for really heavy, really long met-cons once a week. Today was the first installment and it was gnarly.

We are still going to have our skill work level 2 class at 9 am on Saturday's, and this long heavy level 2 met-con class will take place at 11 am.

Today we did a pretty infamous Gym Jones workout called "The Sparrow's Dozen."

WOD: "The Sparrow's Dozen" - 12 rounds for time of:
12 body weight dead lifts - 85Kg (187.4#) on the bar
12 pull ups (chest to bar)
12 push ups
12 wall balls - 20#/10'

Score/Time: 36:01
Calories burned (WOD only): 877

Holy hell, the room was spinning I finished this WOD, incredibly tough. Nobody went out that hard out of the gate. I think we all knew what we were in for and didn't want to spend too much energy at the start. It was a long, hard, gut-it-out, just keep moving type of WOD.

I'm already looking forward to next week's Level 2 met-con class. The Level 2 skills work class is going to be a nice warm up for the met-con session.

Other ideas for WOD's we've had for Level 2 met-con class are: EMOTM 5 burpees then thrusters with 45 Kg for the rest of the minute, until you get to 100 thrusters. 100 1/2 body weight (on barbell) Curtis P. reps (one rep is a hang squat clean, lunge left, lunge right, push press). 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...1 row x 100 meters and renegade man makers ....so first round would be row 1000 meters then do 10 renegade man makers, second round row 900 meters then do 9 renegade man makers, etc. 100 1/2 body weight Bear reps (one rep is hang clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press). If you have any good ideas, let me know and leave a comment.

It's an awesome challenge both physically and mentally and exactly what I'm looking for. Oh the horror, the pain, the fun!

Fitness - Rest Day - 11/27

Today I took a much needed rest day. My legs and glutes are destroyed from the past two days of dead lifts, lunges and running.

On a good note, that little bit of discomfort I was feeling in my lower back is completely gone. No more stiffness or pressure at all. I'm still not sure what caused it but oh well. I'll keep cautious eye on it in the following weeks and if it comes up again I'll likely get it checked out. But for now, it's gone.

I'm still recovering from yesterday's feast. My stomach still feels distended and full and a little upset. Probably because of the overfeeding and what I over fed on. Don't care much though, I had an awesome time with my family and have so much to be thankful for.

I'm sad that Thanksgiving comes and goes so soon. I'm also sad that I had to come into work today, sooooo bored!

Nutrition - 11/27

6:00 pm (fasted food until this meal)
5.5 oz. chicken breast - saute'ed with evoo, lemon juice, onion, green bell pepper, red pepper flakes, sea salt, black pepper.
Salad - 3 cups mixed greens (kale, swiss chard, spinach, arugula), 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup cherry toms, 2/3 cup mushrooms, 3 radishes, 1/4 cup cucumber, chopped basil and parsley.
2 Tbsp homemade paleo dressing

9:30 pm
2 links Insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
3 celery stalks
2 Tbsp almond butter

Fitness/Nutrition - Earn Your Turkey WOD - 11/26

Today is Thanksgiving and I don't really plan on sticking to the paleo thing. I'm going to cheat and have some stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, pie/cake/cookies etc. It's a gluttonous holiday and I plan on taking full advantage.

Having said that, I wanted to at least try to justify consuming 3,000 calories in one meal by burning some this morning and attending one of the two sessions CrossFit Seattle was holding. They dubbed today's WOD, "Earn Your Turkey, Turkey". There was no focus today.

WOD: 3 separate events, score was the combined time for all three events.
Event #1)
50 pull ups for time
Score/Time: 1:39

Event #2)
Right 5xKettle bell Curtis P reps - 24 Kg bell (53#)
Left 5xKettle bell Curtis P Reps - 24 Kg bell (53#)
400m run
Right 10xKettle bell Curtis P reps - 24 Kg bell (53#)
Left 10xKettle bell Curtis P reps - 24 Kg bell (53#)
800m run
Right 5xKettle bell Curtis P reps - 24 Kg bell (53#)
Left 5xKettle bell Curtis P reps - 24 Kg bell (53#)
400m run
Score/Time: 13:48

Event #3)
400m run with Kettle bell used for Curtis P's. - 24 Kg bell (53#)
Score/Time: 1:48

Total Score/Time: 17:35
Calories burned (WOD only): 735

A regular Curtis P. rep is done with a barbell and one rep equals: hang clean, right leg lunge, left leg lunge, push press. Since we did it with kettle bells it had to be split between arms. That's what the "Right" or "Left" refers to above in the description, which arm we are using clean the bell, hold it in rack position while lunging with both legs, then push pressing it.

This WOD was extremely tough. My glutes and hamstrings were extremely tight after yesterday's dead lifts. I found it really hard to run fast, my legs died out early and felt super heavy and fatigued. It was still a fun one though, I pushed myself as hard as I could to finish the Curtis P's fast and run hard (even though it felt like I was jogging).

The last 400m run with the bell was pretty extreme. My strategy was to hold it on my shoulder, which worked really well. Even though it was heavy and I could feel it bearing down on me, It was the best option. I switched shoulders (while running, very awkward) about halfway around the block. How else are you supposed to carry a 53# cannon ball with a handle while running as hard as possible around the block on a sidewalk?

Anyway, as I said my legs did not last at all for this WOD. Today's WOD was a grind for sure. I didn't feel like it but I'm glad I went. I'm looking forward to taking Friday off and giving my legs some much needed rest. And just like every week, looking forward to the Level 2 class on Saturday.

Fitness - Clean & Jerks & WOD - 11/25

Got a lot of sleep again last night and woke up feeling great, ready to rock.

Our focus was full squat clean & jerks. Then it was time to get after the WOD.

Focus: Clean & Jerks, 5x5 cross sets
1x5 - 85 Kg (176.4#)
4x5 - 97 Kg (213.8#)

This was heavy. I started feeling it after my second set at 97 Kg's. I feel my form getting more and more solid every time we do olympic lifts. When everything is clicking the way it should I can feel the movement get dialed in. I feel good about my c&j output today. I'm getting more and more comfortable with a lot of weight at the bottom of my front squats.

WOD: 10 down to 1, then back up to 10 (10,9,8,7...2,1,1,2,3...8,9,10) for time of:
Body weight dead lifts - 86 Kg (189.6#) on the barbell
push ups
v-ups

Score: 14:18
Calories burned (focus & WOD): 744

I don't know what to say about this WOD other than It kicked my ass. I went out fast through the rounds of 10, 9 and 8 but then settled down a bit into a nice (but still pushing it) pace. I pretty much kept that pace throughout, took a small break (about 1 minute) before I started working back up from 1.

I was drained after this one and it took me a few minutes before I trusted my legs being underneath me, then I walked to my car. With the deadlifts, I focused on controlling the weight on the way down and not bouncing it off the floor. It was more of a touch and go on the bottom and then really exaggerating the full hip extension at the top of the dead lifts.

One thing is for sure, my glutes and hamstrings are going to be rocking tomorrow.

Nutrition - 11/25

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25G) whey protein isolate, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk, 20 oz. water.

9:150 am
3 hard boiled eggs (only 2 yokes)
3 large celery stalks
1 cup broccoli
1/4 cup almonds

1:00 pm
5 oz. top sirloin steak - marinated in ginger, garlic, tamari, red pepper flakes, cilantro
salad - 3 cups mixed greens (red cabbage, kale, swiss chard, spinach, arugula), 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 large radishes, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup chopped parsley.
1 Tbsp paleo salad dressing
1/4 cup walnuts

4:00 pm
3.5 oz. Ahi Tuna steak - seared in sesame oil, sea salt, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, ginger, garlic.
2 cups cauliflower

7:30 pm
5 oz. chicken breast - saute'ed with lemon juice, garlic, ginger, pepper, red pepper flakes, sea salt, yellow bell peppers, white onion.
1 cup saute'ed white onion and yellow bell peppers
12 asparagus spears

72 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Weighted Dips & Circuit Training WOD - 11/24

I got over 8 hours of sleep last night and woke up feeling truly replenished. Although, that little discomfort in my lower back is still present.

Today's focus was weighted dips. 5 sets of 3 working up to as heavy as possible on the last set.

Focus: 5x3 weighted dips
1x3 - 24 Kg (53#) added (ring dips)
1x3 - 24 Kg (53#) added (ring dips)
1x3 - 32 Kg (70.5#) added (ring dips)
1x3 - 44 Kg (97#) added (dip stand)
1x3 - 48 Kg (105.8#) added (dip stand)

These sets of three were pretty easy. I would have kept gong up but we were out of time and had to move onto today's WOD. It felt really good to go at these with a lot of weight. It's the most I've ever added and my final set went up without even slowing me down. I would have liked to try 56-60 Kg, but as i said we had to move on. Next time we do sets of 3 on dips, I'll look forward to going heavier.

WOD: 3 rounds of:
1 min. of weighted step ups - 24"box/40# dumbbells in each hand
1 min. of ankles to bar
1 min. of weighted sit ups - 20# med ball, keeping it overhead
1 min. of one arm kettle bell swings - 24 Kg bell (53#)
1 min. of bent over dumbbell row - 24Kg bell (53#)
1 min. of rest

Score: N/A
Calories burned (focus & WOD): 617

This was a brutal circuit. I went hard, pushed myself and kept a pretty intense pace throughout the whole thing and was sweating my ass off halfway into the first round. I was dripping by the end of it.

I tend to like circuits like these because it's easy to motivate myself. Just keep saying one more rep, one more round, one more minute etc. Anyway, nothing like a full body circuit to start the day.

Nutrition - 11/24

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate, 1/3 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk, 20 oz. water.

9:30 am
2 links Insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
2 hard boiled eggs
1 yellow bell pepper, raw
1/4 cup walnuts

1:10 pm
5. oz. chicken breast
salad - 3 cups mixed greens (kale, swiss chard, arugula, spinach) 4 sliced mushrooms, 2 large radishes, 1 roma tomato, 1/4 cup cucumber.
2 Tbsp homemade paleo dressing
1/4 cup almonds

4:15 pm
3 oz. organic grass fed ground beef - saute'ed with onion and orange bell pepper
2 cups purple cauliflower

7:30 pm
5 oz. grilled london broil
12 asparagus spears
5 oz. carrots
1/2 avocado

114 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Back Squat & Dumbbell Squat Clean/Push Press WOD - 11/23

I woke up this morning with a little twinge/pinch in my lower back. Not from what, but it's a little uncomfortable.

Anyway, we started off the Monday with a little back squat action. Working up to a really heavy set of 5, then taking off 15% of that weight and doing a set for max reps.

Focus: Back squat
1x5 - 110 Kg (242.5#)
1x5 - 130 Kg (286.6#)
1x5 - 145 Kg (319.7#)
1x5 - 150 Kg (330.7#)
1x5 - 160 Kg (352.7#)
1x16 (max rep set)- 136 Kg (299.8#)

This was a pretty gnarly progression. 160 was tough, and the max rep set was even tougher. I felt good except that little bit of pressure in my lower back. I worked with a foam roller after my squats to work it out and that seemed to help a little. I'll have to keep it in mind for the next week or so and see how it's feeling.

WOD: AMRAP in 7 minutes of:
1 dumbbell squat clean (from the ground, not hang cleans) - 45# dumbbell in each hand
2 push presses - 45# dumbbells

Score: 35
Calories burned (focus & WOD): 543

The first 2 minutes of the AMRAP went awesome. I cranked out 15 reps in the first 2 minutes. I set the dumbbells down to rest for a second and I never really recovered. I hit a wall for sure. My legs were burning, my shoulders were on fire and after that I could only get 5 rounds a minute.

I was gassed after today's WOD. Probably due to a weekend of pretty bad nutrition and not enough rest. I really need to treat Sunday like a work night and hit the sack earlier. I've been staying up way too late on Sunday evening's and it's taking a toll on Monday WOD's.

Nutrition - 11/23

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate, 1/3 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk, 18 oz. water

1:10 pm
5.5 oz. baked chicken breast
salad - 3 cups spinach, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup chopped basil, 3 sliced mushrooms, 2 radishes.
1/3 cup walnuts

4:15 pm
3 oz. organic grass fed ground beef - saute'ed with onion and peppers
2 carrots
1 broccoli floret
1 celery stalk

7:30 pm
5 oz. Salmon - seared in lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, evoo.
1/2 avocado
4 large red cabbage leaves
2 celery stalks
1 Tbsp almond butter

96 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Level 2 - 11/21

Today was a good level 2 class. Not too intense but a lot of good skill work. We started off with a lot of wrist strengthening and stretching movements.

Later we worked on front and back levers, along with some more handstand work. Really working on pressing through the shoulders and upper/middle back, and keeping a really tight l-sit angle and trying to rotate the feet through.

We then did some work on the pommel horse. Holding the handles and raising our hips as high as possible, shifting our weight and shoulders forward and holding it for a few seconds before lowering back down. This was really hard, it takes a lot of strength in areas that you wouldn't think would be engaged.

We then did some work with a stall bar and explosive pull ups. At our CrossFit gym we have a pull up bar, then sticking out farther is another pull up bar about 2 feet higher. We did sets of explosive pull ups where we'd actually let go at the top of the pull up bar and try to grab the one above it.

It is a little scary but it's really easy after you do the first one. you realize it's not that bad, you just have to pull the trigger. It took getting your pull up high enough where the lower pull up bar would be at rib cage level.

It was a good level 2 class. My shoulders and hamstrings always feel great after leaving this class. Can't wait for next week.

Fitness - 20 Rep Back Squat & WOD - 11/19

Got very little sleep last night so I was pretty tired all morning and generally felt slow and fatigued. It took a while for my body to wake up and get moving.

Focus: Back squat, 1x20 going heavy
1x21 - 125 Kg (275.6#)

20 rep back squat is torture. The goal of the 20 rep back squat is not really to get to 20 reps. You're supposed to pick a weight that's hard for ten. Like, you don't think you'll be able to get that 11th rep. And then try to grind out 20 reps with this weight that feels like it's going to fold you in half. From rep 12 on, it was a fight. After 12 they were all done as singles, taking a break at the top to catch my breath and re-pressurize. The entire set probably took around 3 minutes.

I did this same weight last time we did a 20 rep back squat and got 20 reps that time as well. I wanted to go up but Dave wanted me to stay at 125. Not sure why, he said if I got 20 then next time we'd take it up 5-10 kilo's. Next time I want to choose an overly heavy weight. A weight that I'll be lucky to get 15 or 16 reps with.

WOD: 21-15-9-6-3 of:
Kettle bell SDLHP's - 24 Kg bell in each hand
pull ups
air balls - 20# med ball

Score: 7:48
Calories burned (focus and WOD): 634

This felt brutal after my squat effort, totally drained me. The SDLHP's were a lot of hip work after the squats. Not to mention, going from SDLHP's strait to pull ups was not fun. My back and arms got burned out fast. The air ball is when you hold the ball over head and do squat jumps. So it's kind of like a wall ball but you never let go of the ball, holding it overhead the whole time.

Today was a tough day at the gym, I feel pretty spent. At least we didn't have to row today though.

Nutrition - 11/19

8:00 am (post WOD0
protein shake - 2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate, 1/2 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk

1:15 pm (fasted food until this meal)
5.5 oz. london broil
Salad - 3 cups spinach, 1/2 cup roma tomatoes, 1/2 cup cucumber, 3 sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup wlanuts
1/2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

4:30 pm
3 oz. chicken breast
2 carrots

8:00 pm
6 oz. Ahi tuna steak - seared in sesame oil, garlic, sea salt and black pepper
2 cups broccoli
3 celery stalks with 2 Tbsp almond butter

112 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Weighted Ring Dips - Row WOD - 11/18

Wow, my chest and shoulders are really sore this morning. Partly due to the extra bench and chest work I did yesterday. But also because of all the shoulder work we've done this week.

Focus: 5x5 heavy ring dips
5x5 - 24 Kg additional weight

My shoulders were feeling it on the rings today. Even though it's dips which is a tricep exercise, it still hits the shoulders a little bit for stabilizing. It felt really heavy on the last set and had to break it into sets of 3 and 2.

WOD: 3x1000 meter row
1x1000m - 3:30
5 minutes rest
1x1000m - 3:37
5 minutes rest
1x1000m - 3:39

Calories burned (focus and WOD): 486

Damn I hate rowing. I was completely spent after this and had trouble walking to my car. I tried like hell to complete my third set faster than the second but I came up just a little short. My biceps hurt, my back was spent and of course my legs were like Jello.

during the 5 minutes of rest I was doing some active stretching including kettle bell windmills, pull through's with PVC pipe, and some other static stretches with a kettle bell.

Over all, a pretty gnarly day at the gym. The rowing really took it out of me and I'm already feeling a wave of tiredness wash over me. I'm gonna sleep well tonight, that's for sure.

Nutrition - 11/18

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate, 1 Tbsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk.

9:30 am
2 links insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
1 hard boiled egg
3 celery stalks
1/4 walnuts

1:00 pm
5 oz. chicken breast - marinated in paprika, evoo, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper.
Salad - 3 cups spinach, 1/2 sun gold tomatoes, 1 cup cucumber, 4 sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup chopped basil.
1/4 cup almonds

4:15 pm
2.5 oz. organic grass fed ground beef - saute'ed with yellow onions, orange bell peppers, paprika, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, black pepper, sea salt
2 Tbsp salsa on top of ground beef
2 cups broccoli

7:30 pm
5.5 oz. wild caught coho salmon - bakes with black pepper, lemon and rosemary
A lot of red cabbage
1 celery stalks with almond butter
1/2 avocado
1 coconut & flax seed caveman bar

110 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Snatch Technique - WOD - 11/17

This morning I was excited to see an Olympic lift was our focus. The snatch, a great exercise. After that we did a short little 12 minute AMRAP that had even more snatch work.

Focus: Snatch, 5x3, floor to overhead each rep
1x3 - 50 Kg (110.2#)
2x3 - 70 Kg (154.3#)
2x3 - 80 Kg (176.4#)

It felt good to work on these today. Although 80 was a little too easy, I thought it best not to push it and really focus on my form. We don't do these often enough in class, I should really work them in my own time a few times a month.

WOD: partner AMRAP in 12 minutes of:
1 dumbbell snatch/side - 50# dumbbell
2 tuck jumps

Score: 54 rounds
calories burned (focus & WOD): 621

The WOD was an "I go, you go" style with a partner where one partner would do the sequence, then rest while other person would do the sequence. Once through by each partner was one round.

My partner today was an older fellow but we set a blistering pace. We pretty much went non-stop the entire 12 minutes and even picked it up with about 2 minutes left. If you break it down, we were getting more than four rounds per minute. not bad at all.

Extra work: Bench press 5x3, working up in weight
1x5 - 225# (still warming up)
1x3 - 245#
1x3 - 265#
1x3 - 285#
1x3 - 295#
1x3 - 305#

Tabata rowing, push ups:
20 seconds rowing, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds push ups, 10 seconds rest. Repeat 8 times for 8 total minutes of work.

Calories burned (including bench and tabata work): 417

I wanted to do some bench press work today because it has been ages since I benched. I wanted to see how much i had lost or gained in this area. And I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't benched since I started CrossFit and my bench max is leaps and bounds greater than where it was. Although I had a spotter for safety reasons, He didn't help at all on the last set. I'm not going to say it went up easily, but I was able to control it extremely well. All three reps at 305 were fluid, the same pace, and not jerky at all. I didn't have to bounce them off my chest, they were touch and go. It felt really good to get under some heavy weight on the bench again.

The last little tabata thing was a nice little blast to round out the day. I couldn't be happier in the direction my strength and fitness is moving. It seems that everything is clicking.

Nutrition - 11/17

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (50g) whey protein isolate, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk, 20 oz. water.

9:00 am
3 hard boiled eggs
2 medium carrots
1/4 cup almonds

1:10 pm
5.5 oz. top sirloin steak
salad - 3 cups spinach, 3 radishes, 3 mushrooms, 1/2 cup sun gold tomatoes, 1 Tbsp paleo chili vinaigrette
1/4 cup walnuts

4:15 pm
3 links insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
2 cups broccoli

7:30 pm
5 oz. chicken breast - marinated in lemon juice, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, paprika, evoo
1 yellow bell pepper, raw
1 celery stalk
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup mixed pecans/walnuts
2 homemade chocolate chip cookies (thanks bear!)

98 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Heavy Thrusters/Heavy Pull Ups WOD - 11/16

My hamstrings are still extremely sore from the level 2 class and I knew it was going to be a rough day at the old gym.

After a lot of warming up and stretching, we got into the WOD. Our WOD today was un-timed but we were told to go as heavy as possible.

There was no focus today.

WOD: 10 down to 1 (10, 9 , 8 etc. down to 1) of:
Thrusters - 75 Kg (165.3#)
Pull ups - Sets of 10 & 9, 16 additional Kg's

Score: N/A (this one was un-timed, done at our own pace)
Calories burned: 711

Uh, wow! This was pretty tough, incredibly heavy for thrusters. For the pull ups I added 16 Kg's for the sets of 10 and 9. But, after that I wasn't able to get the height anymore and was barely getting my chin above the bar. So I ditched the added weight and exaggerated the movement. I went super explosive and tried to touch my rib cage to the bar each rep.

It took me until I was on my set of six before I could get the thrusters unbroken. On sets 10 down to 7 I had to do 2 sets. I always made it to 2 reps before then end and I'd have to set the bar down and rest for a second, clean it back up to my shoulders and finish the set.

I'm really happy with my effort today. This was a brutal WOD.

Nutrition - 11/16

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate, 1 Tbsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk.

6:00 pm (fasted food until this meal)
6 oz. chicken breast - marinated in lemon juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, ginger, garlic, evoo.
salad - 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 4 sliced mushrooms, 2 radishes, 1/2 avocado, 2 Tbsp paleo dressing.
1/2 cup mixed walnuts and almonds

9:30 pm
2 hard boiled eggs
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 carrot

Fitness - Level 2 - 11/14

I was excited to get back into the level 2 class after missing two weeks. Today we did a lot of work.

We started off with some hand stand work. First against the wall with some sets of a few hand stand push ups. Next we did some hand stand holds in free space with spotters. I've noticed I've gotten a lot better with "free space" hand stands. Much better core and shoulder strength and ability to stabilize and keep still. I still needed a lot of spotting though.

Next we got into some l-sits and rotated between those and the hand stands. We worked on holding a really tight angle with the l-sit and bringing your legs as high as possible into a pike position. Then, rotating forward and bringing your legs through and underneath you.

After that work, we did a little circuit:
4 good mornings - 40 Kg on the bar
4 l-sit rope climbs (4 pulls up, control on the way down)
2 press to handstands

This was pretty intense and my hamstrings are so, so tight from the good mornings. the rope climbs felt good as well, it's been a while since Dave brought down the ropes. I did the rope climbs with a straddle. Meaning, I centered the rope between my legs and spread them into as wide a V ass possible. then I held the straddled l-sit while I climbed. Keeping my legs as high as possible and spread apart as much as possible. This was incredibly taxing on the hips.

The press to hand stand is something we do quite often in the level 2 class. It's where you post up in a hand stand with your back pressed up against the wall. You then spread your legs into a V and rotate your hips lowering your feet to the ground. All the while keeping in control and keeping your back and shoulder blades pressed against the wall.

It felt really good to get back into the level 2 class. I've missed the last two weeks due to the flu. Looking forward to a recovery day tomorrow and lots of sleep tonight.

Fitness - Turkish Get Ups - WOD - 11/13

Comprehensive soreness. That pretty much sums it up. My first week back since having taken 7 days off due to the flu has been pretty brutal. My body is responding the way it did when I first started CrossFit. Although I'm incredibly sore, I feel really strong.

Focus: Turkish Get Ups
1x3 (3 reps per side) - 16 Kg bell
1x3 (3 reps per side) - 24 Kg bell
2x3 (3 reps per side) - 32 Kg bell

Today we did a lot of warming up along with some static stretching that included Turkish Get Ups. These are always fun to work on and I've noticed I've gotten a lot better at my TGU's. Meaning, I'm able to keep the bell way more stable and my core strength is helping me keep the rest of my body more solid.

After about 20 minutes of working on TGU's we got after the WOD. Our score was the total amount of reps added together for each exercise.

WOD: 4 rounds of:
2 minutes of Kettle Bell snatches (alternating arms every 5 reps) - 24 Kg bell
30 seconds rest
2 minutes of sit ups
1 minute rest

Score: 427 (196 snatches, 231 sit ups)
Calories burned (focus, WOD, extra work): 1423

Wow, 2 minutes seemed like forever during this WOD. My form on the last round of snatches probably looked pretty sloppy. It certainly felt sloppy. Even though my form was a little questionable on the last round my reps completed in each round was really consistent. I don't remember what I got in each individual round but I remember they were all within 4 reps of each other. My sit ups on the other hand, dropped off quite a bit as the rounds went on. I slowed considerably on the final round.

I had the day off work today so I decided to stay after and get a little extra work in. I put the following little gem together for myself.

Extra work: 4 rounds, un-timed of:
5 snatches (floor to overhead each rep) - 70 Kg
5 dead lifts - 70 Kg
5 hang cleans - 70 Kg
5 split jerks - 70 Kg
2 minutes rest

21-15-9 of:
pull ups
ring dips
box jumps

I went about this one a little differently, instead of going for 4 rounds for time, I decided to give myself some rest. But the trade off was that when I started the round, I didn't set the bar down. I challenged myself to get through the entire round without dropping the bar or resting it on my shoulders. And believe me, it was a challenge. But, it was also a lot of fun.

There was still a few minutes remaining before the next class started so I did a short little 21-15-9 blast of a nice trio of movements. I didn't keep track of my time but I finished it pretty quick. I got through all the pull ups and box jumps unbroken, but the ring dips slowed me down. I had to break the first set into a sets of 10, 7 and 4. My second set of ring dips I could only get 10 again before finishing the last 5. I managed to get the last set of 9 unbroken though.

An extremely productive day at the gym today and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's level 2 class. Hot damn it's good to be back!

Nutrition - 11/13

9:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk.

12:30 pm (fasted food until this meal)
2 eggs over easy with salt and pepper
2 links Insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
2 Tbsp salsa (topping on eggs)
1/2 avocado (topping on eggs
1/4 cup mixed almonds and walnuts

4:00 pm
2 oz. ahi tuna steak
2 oz. Alaskan salmon fillet
1 cup cauliflower
1 medium carrot
1/4 cup hazelnuts

7:30 pm
5 oz. top sirloin steak saute'ed with garlic, evoo, tamari, lime juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, sea salt
1/2 cup saute'ed orange bell pepper and yellow onions
salad - 3 red cabbage leaves, 3 large bok choy leaves, basil and parsley
1 Tbsp paleo dressing

80 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Front Squats - Interval WOD - 11/12

My back (lats especially) legs and shoulders are extremely sore today after yesterday's out put. Well worth it though. My legs are still destroyed from the wall balls on Tuesday.

I was excited for today's workout. Our focus was front squats which was I need to work on in my quest for a heavier clean max. After that we got into our WOD which I also enjoyed, even though it contained rowing.

Focus: Front squats, 5x3
1x3 - 100 Kg (220.5#)
1x3 - 110 Kg (242.5#)
3x3 - 130 Kg (286.6#)

After I got going I felt strong on my fronts today. It's the heaviest I've ever gone and I was able to get three solid sets at 130. I felt my form waiver a bit on the last set but I was able to fight through it, get good depth, and finish the set. It was a little difficult to work through the soreness/stiffness that I'm still feeling from Tuesday's wall balls.

WOD: 4 rounds of 30 seconds on-30 rest with the following:
American kettle bell swings - 32 Kg bell
Burpees
Rowing (for calories)

Score: 167
Calories burned (focus & WOD): 583

4 rounds of 30 seconds on and 30 seconds rest at one exercise before moving to the next. The score was the total amount of reps for swings and burpees added with the total amount of calories burned on the rower. I was pleased with my effort and score today. I pushed myself hard every interval at every station, beating the previous high score by 3 (which was posted by one of the coaches).

I didn't drop off at all during the 30 second intervals either. I got 18 or 19 swings each interval, 11 burpees every interval and 13 or 14 calories on the row machine each time. It was a nice little work out. Extremely high intensity but lots of built in rest.

Nutrition - 11/12

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate, 1/2 Tbsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk

12:30 pm (fasted food until this meal)
5.5 oz. chicken breast - marinated in lemon juice, black pepper, rosemary
Salad - 3 cups mixed greens (kale, swiss chard, beet greens, arugula, spinach), 1.2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup cucumber, 3 radishes, chopped italian parsley
2 Tbsp paleo dressing
1/2 cup walnuts

4:15 pm
3 oz. ahi tuna steak
2 cups cauliflower
2 tspn pumpkin seeds
2 tspn hulled sunflower seeds

7:30 pm
5 oz. organic grass fed ground beef - saute'ed with red pepper flakes, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, white onion, orange and yellow bell peppers, evoo
3 large red cabbage leaves (to act as taco shells)
1/2 avocado, diced up put in wraps
2 large celery stalks

112 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Weghted/Strict Pull Ups - Triple 7 WOD Domination - 11/11

My legs, specifically my quads are absolutely wrecked from yesterday's wall balls. My shoulders and even my neck are feeling it. I'm pretty much sore all over from having taken 7 days off and being bed ridden from the flu. I was pleasantly surprised to not see any leg intensive work on the white board when I walked in this morning.

Focus: Weighted/strict pull ups, 5x5
1x10 - warm up set, explosive chest to bar pull ups
4x5 - 20 Kg's added

Not much to report here. Felt good to use some heavy weight for the dead hang pull ups. Felt a lot of tightness in my shoulders though.

WOD: "Triple 7" - 7 rounds for time of:
7 push press - 70 Kg
7 v-ups
7 pull ups

Score: 5:16
Calories burned (focus, WOD & finisher): 639

Finisher: 400 meter heavy farmer's walk
1x400m - 24 Kg (53#) kettle bell in each hand

I crushed today's WOD, absolutely killed it. I went 20 Kg heavier than anybody else on the push press and finished 33 seconds faster than the next fasted time. I could not be stopped or slowed down on this one.

Right from the start I shot out of the gate and pretty much kept that pace going through the entire WOD. I was just super excited to get after this one. I was running from the pull up bar back to my loaded push press bar and wasting no time starting in on the next round. I love WOD's like this and I think they love me too.

Side note: I've been working on butterfly kipping pull ups for a couple weeks now and today was the first time I've implemented them in a WOD. It's still a tiny bit awkward but I've pretty much got it. It makes a huge difference in speed compared to the regular kipping pull up. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use them from now on.

Posted here is a pretty short and quick tutorial of a butterfly kipping pull up. It's much more efficient if going for speed or more reps. But it's harder to make sure you're getting your chest to the bar. It's more of a circular motion as opposed to the pendulum motion of a regular kipping pull up.

We finished with a 400 meter heavy farmers walk, which was a nice little cool down. Overall, super stoked on my workout today. Could not have gone better.

Nutrition - 11/11

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate, 1 Tbsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk

9:20 am
2 hard boiled eggs
2 medium carrots
1/8 cup almonds

12:45 pm
5 oz. wild caught Alaskan salmon - broiled with lemon juice, thyme, sea salt, pepper
salad - 2 large bok choy leaves, 2 cups mixed greens (kale, swiss chard, arugula, spinach), 3 radishes, 1/2 cup cucumber
1/8 cup almonds

4:15 pm
2.5 oz. top sirloin steak
2 cups broccoli

7:30 pm Red cabbage wraps
5 oz. organic grass fed ground beef - saute'ed with red pepper flakes, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, white onion, orange and yellow bell peppers, evoo
3 large red cabbage leaves (to act as taco shells)
1 orange bell pepper, chopped up put in wraps
1/2 avocado, diced up put in wraps
1/2 cup walnuts

102 oz. water on the day

Fitness - Strict Press - Modified "Karen" - 11/10

After being out for 7 days with the flu today was my first day back in the gym. Obviously I felt weak and my body was a little out of tune, but it felt so good to get back in and train.

Today we started off with some strict press work and then got into our WOD. It was a relatively short blast of Karen, with a partner.

Focus: strict press, 4x8, 1xmax reps
1x8 - 60 Kg (132.3#)
3x8 - 70 Kg (154.3#)
1x11 (max reps set) - 70 Kg (154.3#)

I felt really good about my press work today. I was expecting a weaker output but i jumped right back into it from where I left off. My last set of 8 was a grind from rep 4 to the end. I didn't expect to get past 8 reps on my max rep set. But I rested a little longer than between the sets of 8 then went for it. I cranked out 6 reps before my pace started to slow down. Reps 9, 10 and 11 were done as singles where I rested the bar on my shoulders to get a quick breath before pressing out the rep.

WOD: Modified "Karen" with a partner. 150 wall balls each, alternating.
1x150 wall balls - 20# med ball/10' mark

Team score: 11:17
Calories burned (focus & WOD): 469

This broke down as follows: One person would start (I started today) into their 150 wall balls and go for as long as they could. Once I set the medicine ball down, it was my partners turn to go at his 150 reps. We alternated like this until each of us had gotten to 150.

Time ended as soon as we had finished 150 wall balls each.

The ole' familiar wall ball. I actually really like wall balls. Just you, the wall, the medicine ball and your thoughts. This is one exercise where it's easy for me to block out the pain for some reason. My first two turns I banged out 40 wall balls which quickly got me over the halfway mark. After that they were all sets of 20, except for the last set which was my final 10 wall balls.

My partner had a little tougher of a time with these then I did. But, that's because yesterday's WOD (which he took part in) was 10 rounds of dumbbell squat cleans. Something I didn't have to endure so my legs were a little more fresh than his.

I could hardly walk to my car after all those wall balls. It was a pretty tough one for my first WOD back after 7 days of the flu. Although, I'm sure that after 7 days of no training and the flu, anything would have been rough first WOD back. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be feeling pretty beat up by the end of this week.

I'm Back - Nutrition 11/10

I've been off the blog for about a week now due to being knocked out by the flu for going on 8 days now. It was awful, I was miserable but I'm finally feeling better and getting better each day.

I stopped with the blog because A) I had not even the enough energy to raise my hand to the keyboard, B) I wasn't training and C) Although I tried to stayed mostly paleo, I ate with no sort of schedule. A lot of homemade soup (thanks honey), some bread to fill my stomach, a couple days of not being able to eat anything and one night with a pint of Haagen-Daza coffee ice cream.

Still stuck to the lean protein, lots of veggies and healthy fats mentality as much as possible.

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25G) whey protein isolate, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk, 20 oz. water.

9:40 am
3 hard boiled eggs (only 2 yokes)
3 large celery stalks
1/4 cup almonds

1:00 pm
5 oz. top sirloin steak - marinated in ginger, garlic, tamari, red pepper flakes, cilantro
salad - 3 cups mixed greens (red cabbage, kale, swiss chard, spinach, arugula), 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 large radishes, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup chopped parsley.
1 Tbsp paleo salad dressing
1/4 cup walnuts

4:00 pm
3.5 oz. Ahi Tuna steak - seared in sesame oil, sea salt, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, ginger, garlic.
2 cups cauliflower

7:30 pm
5 oz. chicken breast - saute'ed with lemon juice, garlic, ginger, pepper, red pepper flakes, sea salt, yellow bell peppers, white onion.
1 cup saute'ed white onion and yellow bell peppers
12 asparagus spears

Fitness - Tabata Tuesday WOD - 11/03

My shoulders felt like they were going to fall off this morning. Pretty sore in that area.

Today's WOD was nothing fancy, just plain old Tabata's: 8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, for a total of 4 minutes of work. Recording the least amount of reps in any one 20-10 set during that one movement.

WOD: Tabata Tuesday
Push ups - 11
Sit ups - 14
American kettle bell swings (32 Kg bell) - 12
Air squats - 20

Tabata Total: 57
Calories burned: (WOD and finisher): 471

We finished the day with a 400m heavy farmers walk. I chose to go with a 32 Kg (70.5#) kettle bell in each hand.

I felt good with the tabata's today. I definitely strategized more than I have in the past. I paced myself and didn't over do it out of the gate so I could have more consistent sets and more gas in the tank in the later rounds. I can tell that my muscle endurance has improved dramatically, which feels great.

The farmer's walk was pretty tough. I got to about the 150 meter mark before setting it down to rest my grip and shoulders. From them on I was only able to walk about 50 meter's before my grip failed and my forearms were on fire.

Nutrition - 11/03

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 1 scoop (25g) whey protein isolate, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk, 20 oz. water.

9:15 am
1 large carrot
3 oz. top sirloin steak - marinated in evoo, lemon juice, ginger, thyme, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper.

12:50 pm
5 oz. chicken breast - marinated in lemon juice, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, evoo.
Salad - 2 cups spring mix, 1 cup arugula, 1/2 cup cucumber, 3 mushrooms, 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 avocado
2 Tbsp homemade paleo dressing

4:00 pm
2 oz. top sirloin steak
2 cups broccoli

7:30 pm
5.5 oz. wild caught salmon - broiled with lemon juice, pepper, thyme, sea salt, black pepper.
salad - 3 large leaves bok choy, 1 diced roma tomato, 3 radishes
1/4 cup mixed almonds and walnuts

96 oz. water on the day

Fitness - "Bear" WOD - 11/02

Damn! This on hurt, especially with how out of it my body felt (due to the horrible weekend of nutrition). Although My partner and I posted a blazing time (the fasted of the day by at least 2 minutes) It was a fight for me all the way through. I found it tough to get a rhythm both with the complex, and my breathing. No focus today, just lots of warming up and stretching.

One time through the complex equalled one rep and each round consisted of seven reps. Partner one would go 7 times through the complex and rest while partner two went through it. Then partner two would rest while it went back to partner one.

WOD: "Bear" complex with 60KG, 5 rounds (7 times through the complex = 1 round) for time of
hang clean
front squat
push press
back squat
push press

Score: 14:20
Calories burned (WOD only): 444

I found it best to link as many of these movements together as possible to make it more fluid and efficient. For example, hang clean-front squat-push press became, hang clean-thruster. And then it was a matter of lowering the bar behind your neck for the back squat-push press, which became like a thruster but with the weight in a back squat position (as opposed to a front squat position).

I got through my first two rounds unbroken and didn't set the bar down. The next two rounds I broke up into 5 & 2. My last round was broken up into 4 & 3.

This was a lot of work. I was spent after this one and it was just what I needed to start the week and my nutrition commitment. I look forward to feeling better tomorrow morning and hitting it hard this week in the gym.

Nutrition - 11/02

After a horrible weekend of nutrition I felt beat up this morning. Lethargic, heavy, and an overall feeling of yuck. I tried to get motivated and it did happen for me but my body feels gross today. I really need to tighten up my nutrition, especially over the weekend. Starting today, I'm making a change and am going to re-condition my body to not crave sweets. I'm cutting myself off cold turkey.

I've noticed a pattern of eating really well during the week and then just binging on sugar, bread, cheese etc. during the weekend. It has to be pretty harsh on my digestive system and it's taking a tole on my level of fitness as well. Over the past 2 weeks, I've gained about 10 pounds, non of it good weight. But, I know with some discipline and with the way my weight fluctuates, with a month or so of clean eating I can get it back down to where it was/needs to be.

I'm committing to this change. I'm sure I'll slip up every now and then, but I just need to control the amount and I'll be good. When I cheat, I'll follow the "everything is OK in moderation" outlook. Instead of my current, "oh it's a cheat day, better go all out all day" philosophy.

So, I'm starting out with another long fast to try to clean out my system then it's the real deal, only paleo express, and I'm the conductor.

8:00 am (post WOD)
protein shake - 2 scoops (50g) whey protein isolate, 1 Tbsp organic unsweetened, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk.

8:00 pm (fasted food until this meal)
1 link Insernio's extra lean chicken sausage
3 eggs - sunny side up
2 Tbsp salsa on eggs
1/4 cup chopped basil on eggs
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast on eggs
1 raw orange bell pepper
10 asparagus spears
3 celery stalks
1/2 cup mixed almonds and walnuts

120 oz. water on the day