Today's Workout - 12.30.08

Today's was bodyweight only . . .

4 rounds of
75 squats
50 pushups
25 situps

30 minute time limit

Billy complained about the amount of squats, so I told him he could switch the situps and the squats. He agreed and I think he was sorry that he did.

Our numbers . . .

Taza - 3 rounds + 75 + 18
Cody - 3 rounds + 75 + 15
Billy - ??????
Jeremy - ??????

None of us were able to finish, but now we have a goal when this one comes up again.

Today's Workout - 12.29.08

Wow . . . . where have we been? Well, our numbers have dropped off, but some (one) has been consistent over the past couple of months. I just haven't been posting . . . for no other reason than I just haven't.

But, I will make every effort to be more consistent with the posting for the new year.

Today's workout was a CrossFit original from 12.27.08.

It was . . .

AMRAP 20
95# Thrusters x 5
95# Hang Cleans x 7
95# SDLHP x 10

After taking the week or so off of Christmas, this was murder. Two of our athletes hadn't been in quite a while and this was a heck of welcome back.

Our numbers are as follows:

Taza - 7 rounds + 5 + 4
Billy - 7 rounds
Cody - 5 rounds + ? + ? + ?
Jeremy - 5 rounds

We as a group definitely need to work on intensity. I know that we can all do better. This was a tough workout, but they're all tough if the intensity is there. We're here for results and they will come with pushing ourselves further than we "think" we can go.

Today's Workout - 07/18/09

Today we concentrated on one modality, focusing on Kettlebell Swings.

I picked this to work on today because our newest athlete did these the other day and was having trouble with them. Unfortunately, he did not show up today, but I kept the prescription the same:

35# KB Swings (10 rounds of 20)

We focused on getting through fatigue with correct form. Jacob and Billy did fantastic and are both great athletes.

We should expect to see a full house on Monday. Jeremy is hoping to come back from sabbatical and David will be back from California. Soon Cody will be done with his evening class and we will be back to full strength and then some. Looking forward to it!

Today's Workout - 07/16/08

Today was a little bit back to the roots . . .

AMRAP in 20 minutes

Alternating Lunges with 50# heavy bag on your back x 40 yds
80# Racked Rock Walk x 40 yds
140# Farmers Walk x 40 yds
80# Overhead Pressed Rock Walk x 40 yds

I thought this would be draining, but never would have thought it would have the metabolic conditioning impact that it did. I was breathing heavy throughout.

Able to complete 4 rounds exactly.

Today's Workout - 07/16/08

Today I was on the West End for work and ran out of fuel in the delivery truck. I stalled out directly in front of a Ukrop's. Because of this, my workout of the day consisted of:

Pushing a GMC 7500 about 10 feet
Running 0.5 miles to CarQuest to purchase a 5 gallon gas can
Running 1.75 miles to the Gas Station to purchase fuel
Carrying said gas can filled with fuel (40 lbs) back to the truck (1.5 miles)

Well, I guess this is a very safe and mild version of what we train for . . . real life.

I wasn't able to make it back in time to train with the guys, so I prescribed the following:

Tabata Mash
Rowing
35# Kettlebell Swings
Squats

Tabatas are 20 sec. on 10 sec. off for 8 rounds. This Tabata Mash was 8 rounds of each with no rest in between. Scores will be posted to comments.

Today's Workout - 07/15/08

Today was a CrossFit favorite . . . Fran.

As prescribed, Fran is the following:

21-15-9 of
Pull-ups
95# Squat Thrusters

We made some modifications and each athlete will detail theirs and their time.

My modifications were Jumping Pull-ups and 75# thruster.

My time was 7:12 (if I remember correctly).

Today's Workout - 07/14/08

This was our biggest Met-Con day yet. We tackled . . .


5000m row for time

I checked the Concept II website and this is where our athletes ranked today:

Cody
2nd (out of 2) in the state (#1 - 18:47, Midlothian)
3rd (out of 9) in the US (#1 - 18:12, Arizona)
50th percentile in the world (#1 - 17:05, GBR)

Billy
2nd (out of 2) in the state (#1 - 18:55, Charlottesville)
21st (out of 50) in the US (#1 - 14:58, New Hampshire)
50th percentile in the world (#1 - 14:00, GBR)

Taza
2nd (out of 6) in the state (#1 - 17:48, Arlington)
43 (out of 145) in the US (#1 - 17:05, California)
56th percentile in the world (#1 - 16:24, Australia)

These numbers take into account weight class (Lightweight is <165#) and age range.

Billy has the toughest task to get to the top of the heap. Cody and I are "only" about two minutes off the best time in the state, about the same for the US and about 3 minutes off the best time in the world. Billy looks pretty good in the state, only needing about 37 seconds to hit #1. Unfortunately, he is just under and just over, respectively, 5 minutes shy of the #1 US and world times.

I look forward to seeing what our other athletes can accomplish. Billy and Cody will post their exact times and thoughts to comments.

Today's Workout - 07/10/08

Titan Training welcomes a new athlete to the group. He is the brother of one of our regulars. We welcomed him with a tough one that he should have scaled, but he jumped in the deep end first time out.

In the past we have done 1/2 Angie a couple of times. Instead of pull-ups we did recline rows.

Today, we stepped up to 3/4 Angie and did as many pull-ups as possible, changing to jumping pull-ups as needed.

Details . . .

75 Pull-ups
75 Squats
75 Push Ups
75 Sit-ups

My time was 20:48.

Today's Workout - 07/08/09

Today was dubbed Fight Gone Better, Fight Gone Not So Bad and Fight Gone Taza.

Obviously loosely based on the FGB template it consisted of . . .

5 rounds of:

Row (for calories)
12# Sledgehammer to Tire (for reps)
Shoulder 50# Heavy Bag (for reps)

Sledgehammer and Heavy Bag alternated left and right.

My score was 301.

Today's Workout - 07/07/08

Today was geared to put feet to what was learned last week.

5 rounds of 50 squats.

We concentrating on keeping form as correct as possible with speed and through fatigue.

This Week's Workout - 06/30 - 07/04

This week we worked on 6 of the nine basic movements of CrossFit.

Squat
Front Squat
Overhead Squat
Overhead Press
Push Press
Push Jerk

Attendance was spotty throughout the week, unfortunately. Correcting our form was important, though, so we took our time with it. Everyone commented about the realized benefits of moving correctly. I am fairly confident this will translate to better times and better scores.

Where have we been?

It has been too long since I have posted (over 2 1/2 weeks!). Since we last spoke . . . . I was able to go to Virginia Beach and attend the Level 1 CrossFit Certification on June 28 and 29. It was incredibly informative and a ton of fun. The sessions lasted from 9-5 both days. The class was about 70 or so people from all over the US and Canada.

So . . . it is official . . . I am a CrossFit Level 1 Certified Trainer. What does that mean? Just one step closer to the goal, I guess.

I will post some of our recent training in other posts.

Today's Workout - 06/25/08

Today was a nice dose of AMRAP . . .

1000m row
Zercher Squats with 50# heavy bag
30 Situps



My total was exactly 3 rounds.

Today's Workout - 06/24/08

This week we have a visitor with us. He's an old friend, but has never trained with us before. At the suggestion of one of our regulars, we will name today's workout . . . The Rodney.

Team Workout

4 rounds of the following:

Two man 550# tire flip x 5
35# Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pulls x 80 (total)
Pushups / 15 calories on the Concept II (One person does pushups while the other works to get 15 calories on the rower. Switch each round)

We had our first visit from Uncle Pukie today. Our visitor vomited just when we finished, waited about 10 minutes and vomited 3 or 4 more times. Thankfully, he is ok and feels fine now. Hopefully, he'll be back tomorrow!

Today's Workout - 06/20/08

Today we concentrated on one weightlifting exercise for form.

Barbell Turkish Getups

15# x 5
45# x 4
55# x 3
60# x 2
70# x 1

This is a tough one to do quickly, especially when you get to the heavier weights. We had to focus on keeping it straight over our heads the whole time. It was tougher than I thought it would be.

Today's Workout - 06/19/08

Today was MetCon and Bodyweight . . .

5 rounds for time of:

200m sprints
30 pushups

Today's Workout - 06/18/08

We went back to Fight Gone Bad to see how it looked in an "everyday" week. For me, it wasn't more brutal, but my score went down. This is a tough one for us . . . we'll see it again.

3 x 5 minute rounds of 1 minute of each of the following:

Wall Ball (15# medicine ball - 15')
95# Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
21" Tire Jumps
95# Push Presses
Rower (for calories)

My score was 194. Boooooooooooo!

Today's Workout - 06/17/08

Today we combined gymnastic and weightlifting . . .

5 rounds for time of:

50 squats
95# Clean & Jerks

My time was 21:37

Today's Workout - 06/16/08

Today was an easy Met-Con day . . .

2000m row for time

As always, we roll the dice on who will post and when!

Today's Workout - 06/13/08

Today was a form day concentrating on good form with Squats.

10 rounds of 10

Everybody critiques everybody

Today's Workout - 06/12/08

Today's was Met-Con and Weightlifting with . . .

1000m row
95# push press x 10
750m row
95# push press x 15
500m row
95# push press x 20
750m row
95# push press x 15
1000m row
95# push press x 10

Today's Workout - 06/11/08

Continuing our change to daily weekday workouts we did the following:

3 rounds for time of

1000m row
20 pushups
20 35# Kettlebell Swings

My time was 21:29

Today's Workout - 06/10/08

Today we worked Met-Con and Gymnastic with the following:

10 rounds for time of

100m sprints
5 burpees

My time was 11:27

Today's Workout - 06/09/08

It has been a while since I have posted, but I hope things are slowing down a bit and I'll be able to be more regular at it.

Today we focused on the Clean & Jerk, working on what it is supposed to look like. We worked through . . . .

-Just the bar
-95#
-135#
-185#

185 was too tall of an order for any of us. Jake got it the farthest and was able to get under it on the clean, but could not jerk it. Once again, we see something else for us to work on.

Today's Workout - 05/23/08

Today we were back at the carport with Fight Gone Bad in honor of BJ Penn's upcoming fight with Sean Sherk.

Three 5 minute rounds with 1 minute rests in between rounds of the following:

Wall Ball (15# ball to 15') - for reps
75# Sumo Deadlift High Pulls - for reps
21" Tire Jumps - for reps
75# Push Press - for reps
Row - for calories

My total was 209. Getting better, but still a way off from the 300-350 commonly posted on the CrossFit website.

Today's Workout - 05/21/08

Today we were at the park for an untimed hodgepodge of new and old.

3 rounds of:

100 yard truck push
95# Sumo Deadlift High Pulls x 20
35# KB Swings x 20
120 yard Farmers Walk, 70# in each hand

Everyone was present, which may have never happened before. The unveiling of our Titan Training T-shirt was today, as well. Everyone wore it proudly . . . or begrudgingly, I'm not sure.

Today's Workout - 05/19/08

As will be the pattern for the next several Mondays, we worked on form today.

We all noticed that we all have our own little issues when it comes to push-ups, so we all drilled them today.

We had everything from snaking to bad range of motion to butt up in the air to face down in the dirt and probably everything in between.

We all were able to see what we were doing right and what we were doing wrong and correct ourselves.

By the end, everyone was fatigued and able to complete our final set with good form and full range of motion.

Great Day!

Today's Workout - 05/14/08

Today we were back to running the timer. Friday's have turned into our marathon days. We go for intensity on other days, but Friday we pull out all the stops with the hopes of getting closer to doing the CF WODs on a consistent basis.

Today we did . . . .

21-15-9-3

95# Squat Thrusters
Burpees
35# Kettlebell Swings
95# Hang Cleans

The last time we did one similar to this was 03/31/08. This time I increased the weight for ST from 70-80# to 95# and added the final set for 3 reps of each. Times will be posted to comments.

Today's Workout - 05/14/08

Today's was different than what we have been doing and reminiscent of training in the beginning. There were no timers running, no time limits at all . . . just get it done with intensity and good form (or try!).

Rock Walk (walk across the yard with the rock in the racked position and back with it in the overhead press position)
12# sledge to tire (right) x 10
12# sledge to tire (left) x 10
35# KB Snatch (left) x 10
35# KB Snatch (right) x 10
35# KB Clean & Jerk (right) x 10
35# KB Clean & Jerk (left) x 10
35# KB Sumo Deadlift High Pulls x 10
35# KB Swings x 10
Two Hand Rope Whips x 10

3 rounds to get it done.

Today's Workout - 05/09/08

Today we did a CrossFit "Girl" workout named "Barbara". The CrossFit version includes the following:

20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

5 rounds for time

Because none of us can do 20 pull-ups once, let alone 5x, we did recline rows from a straight bar.

Our time were all personal records . . . because it was our first time doing it.

My time was . . . get ready for it . . . . 44:16.

The guys will (hopefully, someday) post their times to comments.

Today's Workout - 05/07/08

Today was a "Get as much in as you can in 20 minutes" day.

Our circuit was:

350# tire flip x 5
Back Extensions x 10
35# KB Clean & Jerk (left) x 10
35# KB Clean & Jerk (right) x 10
35# KB Snatch (left) x 10
35# KB Snatch (right) x 10
50# Heavybag Shouldering (all the way up, all the way down) x 10

I was able to get 3 rounds and had to quit at about 17 minutes. No excuses . . . this one put a beating on me. Friday is another day.

Today's Workout - 05/05/08

Met-Con!

Our training today consisted of the following:

100m sprints x 10

The only rest is the time it takes to get back to the starting line.

My time was 13:22

Today's Workout - 05/02/08

Today we did Fight Gone Bad as found on CrossFit's website.

3 rounds of 5 exercises, 1 minute each, with one minute of rest in between rounds

Wall Ball (15# ball, but we go to 15') for reps
75# Sumo Deadlift High Pulls for reps
21" Box Jumps for reps
75# Push Press for reps
Rower for calories

My total was 197.

I took a look at a past post on CrossFit and folks were fairly consistently in the 300-350 range. I have a LONG way to go. But we are on the way . . . .

Today's Workout - 04/30/08

Today was simple, but not easy.

5 rounds for time of . . .

100m sprints
30 push-ups

I forgot my time, but know it was 16 seconds slower than SundanceCod (whoever that is!).

Also, David J. joined us toward the end and blasted out a BW Tabata (push-ups and BW Squats). We look forward to him supplementing his time at CrossFit RVA with us on Wednesday evenings.

Today's Workout - 04/28/08

Today we worked on the clean and jerk - form, form, form. When we do this in the future, I would really like to see the guys who are not on the bar watching the guy who is on the bar intently. We can a learn a lot from others strengths and weaknesses. We also learn alot from just watching someone else do the exercise we are trying to accomplish. I think we all look forward to implementing the C&J into our WODs.

Does This Remind You of Anyone??

I only know one other guy who works chest on overhead presses!

Burpee Video Game

See how many you can do in 20 seconds . . .

http://www.spellcaster.de/burpee/

My top score was 12. More than I can do in real life!

Today's Workout - 04/25/08

Today's was a Tabata Mash . . . 3 rounds of Tabatas with bodyweight and resistance exercises in each one.

The prescription was:

1st Round
Push-ups
Push Press

2nd Round
Burpees
Sledgehammer to Tire

3rd Round
Bodyweight Squats
Bent Over Rows

My numbers and times are as follows:

1st round (with 40# dumbbells): 70 reps
2nd round (with 8# sledge): 80 reps
3rd round (with 70# dumbbell): 135 reps

Total: 285 reps

Today's Workout - 04/23/08

Today was very nice outside compared to the past few days, so we headed out to the park for some sweet met-con and resistance training. The prescription was as follows:


For Time . . .

100m sprint (walk back)
35# KB Snatch (right) x 30
100m sprint (walk back)
35# KB Clean & Jerk (right) x 30
100m sprint (walk back)
35# KB Snatch (left) x 30
100m sprint (walk back)
35# KB Clean & Jerk (left) x 30
100m sprint (walk back)
35# KB Swings x 30

Some adjustments were made to # of reps. The guys will post their adjustments (if any) and times to comments.

My time (as prescribed) was 17:35.

Today's Workout - 04/21/08

Today we revisited "1/2 Angie." Much to all of our dismay, our times were worse this time than last. We all took Friday off last week, so it has been as little as 5 days and as much as 8 days since we have trained last. Whatever the reason, we can't let this happen again . . .

50 recline rows
50 push-ups
50 sit-ups
50 bodyweight squats

My time was 12:30, almost a full two minutes over my last time . . . pitiful.

Today's Workout - 04/16/08

Today's was one of those that sticks with you for a while . . .

5 rounds for time of:

Lunges across the yard and back (approx. 40-45 yds.)
Deadlift x 5 (50% of max)

Numbers will be posted to comments . . .

Today's Workout - 04/14/08

Today's was a simple Metabolic Conditioning workout consisting of:

4 rounds of 400m run for time.

Times will be posted in comments.

Today's Workout - 04/11/08

Today's was a "as much as you can get into 20 minutes" day.

Jake's Walk
Overhead Squats x 10
Wall Ball x 10
KB Swings x 10
Back Hyperextensions x 10

Jake's Walk - Step into a 300# tire, grab the inside rim with your hands, lift, walk across the yard and back.

Wall Ball - we use a 15# ball and throw it as high as we can against the garage.


My numbers are as follows:
OHS - 75#
Wall Ball - 15-20'
KB Swings - 35#

Total - 3 rounds + Jake's Walk, OHS and Wall Ball.

As always, the others will post their numbers to comments.

Rhabdomyolysis Info

We talked last week about Rhabdomyolysis. We have eased into our programs fairly well, but we are taking steps up each week, so I think it would be best for everyone to at least be aware of Rhabdo and what to look for. Here is an article from the CrossFit Journal that can help . . .

http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/38_05_cf_rhabdo.pdf

Also, here are a few stories from people who have experienced it first hand . . .

1. "My first (and hopefully last) exposure to rhabdomyolysis was in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. It was an average day, not hot and not humid. Our exercise began early and I finished early. A "rushing" sound developed in my eardrums, as if I had a seashell pressed against my ear, and assumed it was just sweat in my ear canal. I woke up in an ambulance many minutes later and then again in the ER. Sore couldn't even describe how my body felt. It hurt to even think about moving. For a few minutes after waking I could not remember who or where I was. Three days of I.V. fluids and I was back in action building myself back up to normal. I didn't realize until recent just how close of a call I'd had. "

2. "It would be silly to think that ballistic stress to a high degree is without risks. Most risks are usually of an injury nature. But you have to keep in mind there are plenty of conditions that one can create by over doing it. Many who are on supplements, do not take in enough water or good nutrients, haven't had enough sleep all put you at more risk while doing ballistics activities. Though there is no direct correlation that we know of creatine increasing your risk for exercise induced rhabdomyolysis, there is a correlation that supplements causing water loss or diuretic effects will increase your risk not just of rhabdo but also hyponatremia, neuromuscular dysfunction and even metabolic acidosis.....the thing one should consider is do yourself a favor and use common sense when you exercise, make sure you use rest and proper nutrition if you are going to take your body to the brink of hell and expect to bring it back."

3. "I wish I had read this article before my hospitalization for rhabdo. I thought I was in shape and had been Crossfitting beforehand and took a long break. Like it was mentioned in the article, my ego got the best of me! I am 42, and was scoring high in the Army APFT and got back into Crossfitting too fast and too hard. I started on a Tuesday and by Thursday's workout I was hurting but kept going. That night my back felt like it was trying o curve up to my head and I could not move my legs. Then real pain hit...everything hurt beyond explanation. I had to call a friend to pick me up and drive me to the ER. I was urinating dark red/brown urine and in utter pain. They hit me with 3mg of diluadid and it did not even touch the pain. It was so bad I was throwing up from the pain. I was released from the hospital and sent home. I was back in the ER on Saturday and again they misdiagnosed me and sent me home with painkillers. I was swelling up so much I could not put on my pants. Monday morning I went to the TMC and passed out there. Finally someone listened to my description and after blood and urine tests I was sent to the hospital and entered into ICU. Normal CK (creatine Ketone) levels are roughly between 100-150...mine was over 40,000. I spent 5 days hospitalized (3 in ICU), they had me on a morphine drip along with dilaudid shots and percocet and plenty of IV therapy. It's been 2 months since that episode, and I am still recovering. My lower back is completely numb from just above the sacrum to halfway down my buttocks. I am back trying to run again and it is a painful process. No one should jump in to a full workout just because they use to do it. I've learned my lesson and I hope no one has to go through rhabdo...work up to it and recognize the symptoms. If you do happen to get symptoms and go to get medical help, let them know what you are feeling and to conduct tests to rule out rhabdo or catch it early on...5 days with acute symptoms is a very painful experience and you can seriouly be hurt with renal failure or a myocardial infarction."

Better for us to know about it and avoid it, than get it and have no idea what we are experiencing.

Deadlift or Stability Ball?

The stability ball has gained a huge following over past few years and they are flying off the shelves. My 21 month old son loves his stability ball, he pushes it all around the house and has just started to pick it up and throw it. However, when he is old enough he will be doing deadlifts and the Olympic lifts. Please read the study below.

Trunk muscle activity during stability ball and free weight exercises.
Nuzzo JL, McCaulley GO, Cormie P, Cavill MJ, McBride JM.Neuromuscular Laboratory, Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA.

"The purpose of this investigation was to compare trunk muscle activity during stability ball and free weight exercises. Nine resistance-trained men participated in one testing session in which squats (SQ) and deadlifts (DL) were completed with loads of approximately 50, 70, 90, and 100% of one-repetition maximum (1RM). Isometric contractions during 3 stability ball exercises (quadruped (QP), pelvic thrust (PT), ball back extension (BE)) were also completed. During all exercises, average integrated electromyography (IEMG) from the rectus abdominus (RA), external oblique (EO), longissimus (L1) and multifidus (L5) was collected and analyzed. Results demonstrate that when expressed relative to 100% DL 1RM, muscle activity was 19.5 +/- 14.8% for L1 and 30.2 +/- 19.3% for L5 during QP, 31.4 +/- 13.4% for L1 and 37.6 +/- 12.4% for L5 during PT, and 44.2 +/- 22.8% for L1 and 45.5 +/- 21.6% for L5 during BE. IEMG of L1 during SQ and DL at 90 and 100% 1RM, and relative muscle activity of L5 during SQ and DL at 100% 1RM was significantly greater (P < or = 0.05) than in the stability ball exercises. Furthermore, relative muscle activity of L1 during DL at 50 and 70% 1RM was significantly greater than in QP and PT. No significant differences were observed in RA and EO during any of the exercises. In conclusion, activity of the trunk muscles during SQs and DLs is greater or equal to that which is produced during the stability ball exercises. It appears that stability ball exercises may not provide a sufficient stimulus for increasing muscular strength or hypertrophy; consequently, the role of stability ball exercises in strength and conditioning programs is questioned. SQs and DLs are recommended for increasing strength and hypertrophy of the back extensors."

All this said, Squats and Deadlifts are better than rolling around on a ball.

Today's Workout - 04/09/08

Today we did a variation of one of our original workouts.

100m sprint x 5
35# KB Swings x 50
35# KB Sumo High Pulls x 50
Sledgehammer to Tire x 25 (L) 25 (R)
60' Hand over Hand Sled Pull w/ 90#
50# Heavybag Shoulder from Ground x 25(L) 25 (R)

On this one, we run a sprint, walk back and do one of the exercises, then run again, walk back and do another and so on and so on for a total of 5 sets for time. The only variable was the weight of the sledgehammer.

My time was 18:02 with a 12# sledge. Good times.

Today's Workout - 04/07/08

"The deadlift keeps company with standing, running, jumping, and throwing for functionality but imparts quick and prominent athletic advantage like no other exercise."

-Greg Glassman (founder of CrossFit)

Today was a simple 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 of Deadlifts. Simple might not be the best word for it, but . . .

My numbers are as follows:

285 - 315 - 365 - 385 - 385 - 355 - 355 - 355 - 315 - 315

I will try to hit more consistently next time. Because the deadlift is a prerequisite to the snatch and the clean, I really want to make sure we are doing them fairly frequently and well. Eventually, I want to get our deadlifts up to where we are all doing at least double our bodyweight. Only one of our guys has already hit that, another is closer than he thinks. Benchmarks are commonly considered: bodyweight (beginner), 2x bodyweight (good) and 3x bodyweight (great).

As always, the others will post their numbers to comments.

Bas Rutten Training Video

I'm not really sure why they put it under comedy . . .

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=101561901291171635&q=genre%3Acomedy

Today's Workout - 04/04/08

Today's was inspired again by David, who did a similar workout at CrossFit this morning. It is based on CrossFit's "Angie" workout.

We'll call it "1/2 Angie"
For time . . .

50 Recline Rows
50 Pushups
50 Sit-ups
50 BW Squats

My time was 10:38.

The real "Angie" is as follows:

100 Pull-ups
100 Pushups
100 Sit-ups
100 BW Squats

Someday (hopefully, soon) we'll be able to get the real "Angie" and the rest of the "girls".

Today's Workout - 04/02/08

Sorry it took so long to post this one. Busy, busy . . .

Another running day . . .

400m run
35# KB Swings x 30
(rest equal to 1/2 of 1st round)
400m run
Pushups x 30

My times are as follows:

Round 1 - 2:53
Rest - 1:26
Round 2 - 2:45

Total - 7:04

Better than last time, but only because of the rest period. My round times were horrible. I am starting to feel better though, so no more excuses.

Today's Workout - 03/31/08

Today's was an original, but as always based on other workouts. Also, as always, it was a killer. Also, as always, I CAME IN LAST!!!! Way last this time. Oh well, staying at it . . .

80# Squat Thrusters
Burpees
35# KB Swings
95# Hang Cleans

21 - 15 - 9

For time.

My time . . . . 40:26

Yeah, that's right . . . 40 minutes, 26 seconds. In my defense (weak as it may be), I am sick. Also, my wife dropped my son off in the middle of my workout. Every time I went down for a burpee, he wanted to climb on top of me. It was hard to complete the rounds, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was great to spend the extra time with him. Someday, he'll be doing Fight Gone Bad, Fran, and Tabata This with the best of 'em.

What About Recovery?

CrossFit's general schedule is 3 on and 1 off. Some go 5 on and 2 off. We are doing 1 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, 1 on , 2 off (mainly because of availability). Jake and I had a conversation today about recovery, rest days, and such. We had both experienced 3-5 days straight, but that was when we were isolating muscle groups. Never had we experienced the intensity of these workouts 3-5 days in a row. I mentioned an article that I had recently read that could benefit our discussion. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/29_05_What_About_Recovery.pdf

Not taking into account our availability, do we want to go 3 on, 1 off? 5 on, 2 off? Are we getting to the most out of our training? Do we want to try it someday? I look forward to your comments.

Today's Workout - 03/28/08

Today we did a version of the famous "Fight Gone Bad" originally developed for BJ Penn. Our version was different, but we used the same skeleton.

3 rounds of 5 minutes with 1 minute rest between rounds. Each round consisted of the following:

Push ups
Bodyweight Squats
Sledgehammer to Tire (L, R, L, R, etc.)
21" Jumps to Tire
Deadlifts (@ 50% of 1RM)

Score is total number of reps in all rounds.

My numbers are as follows:
12# Sledge
185# Deadlifts

Total # of Reps: 306

I happen to already know that I tied for third . . . but there was only four of us, so I really tied for last! As always, the guys will post their weights and reps.

Today's Workout - 03/26/08

Today was shoulders, shoulders, shoulders and more shoulders.

We drilled our shoulders with the dreaded Pyramid of Dumbbells for time.

Round One:
5# x 8
10# x 8
15# x 8
20# x 8
25# x 8
30# x 8
35# x 8
40# x 8
45# x 8
50# x 8

Rest equal to 1/2 of the time it took to run the first round.

Back at it with . . .
50# x 8
45# x 8
40# x 8
35# x 8
30# x 8
25# x 8
20# x 8
15# x 8
10# x 8
5# x 8

If you have never done this before . . . it is very weird. When you get to the end and you pick up the 5# pair of dumbbells, they feel like they weigh nothing. Then you try to press them overhead and your arms don't seem to work the way you want them to.

My times are as follows:

Round One: 14:20
Rest: 7:10
Round Two: 11:53

Total: 33:23

Adjustments were made for reps and weight maxes. The guys will post to comments their times and any adjustments made.

Today's Workout - 03/24/08

Today, I put together a modified version of what Jake at CrossFit RVA had for David and I this morning.

The guys did two-man team workouts of the following:

Team Tire Flips with 350# tire x 12
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 60
Team Sled Drags with 180# x 200 feet
Team Tire Flips with 350# tire x 9
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 45
Team Sled Drags with 180# x 200 feet
Team Tire Flips with 350# tire x 6
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 30
Team Sled Drags with 180# x 200 feet
Team Tire Flips with 350# tire x 3
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 15
Team Sled Drags with 180# x 200 feet

These guys ROCKED this workout!

Because of the way our sled is made compared to the one at CrossFit RVA, a heavier amount was needed. I also shortened the distance.

Unfortunately, one of our guys had to take off mid-workout, so I jumped in to help the other finish up. 7:30 am seemed like minutes ago when we did that sled drag. I felt pretty good all day and figured, "This shouldn't be too much of a problem." Boy, was I wrong. Those sled drags kicked my butt. The good news is . . . I found another exercise that puts a major tax on me. We will definitely have to work this in more often. As always, I will hope the guys will post their teams, times and thoughts to comments.

Today's Workout at CrossFit RVA

I usually wake up on weekday mornings at about 5:00 or 5:30 am and get ready to go to work. This morning I woke up a little bit later (6:00 am) to get ready to go to workout! I woke up excited to have my very first official CrossFit workout.

A friend of mine, David, has been training at CrossFit RVA with Jake for a couple of months and absolutely loves it. He was able to get an invitation for me to join them for a morning session. I met him and Jake at 7:30 am. Jake had a "special" workout for us and boy did we feel special.

Here it is . . .

Team Tire Flips with 450-500# tire x 12
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 60
Team Sled Drags with 135# x 250 feet
Team Tire Flips with 450-500# tire x 9
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 45
Team Sled Drags with 135# x 250 feet
Team Tire Flips with 450-500# tire x 6
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 30
Team Sled Drags with 135# x 250 feet
Team Tire Flips with 450-500# tire x 3
Sumo High Pulls with 25# KB x 15
Team Sled Drags with 135# x 250 feet

With some pregnant pauses and one false finish (my fault. I thought we were done and we still had one round left. Duh!) we were able to complete in 28:20.

It was an absolute killer, but I absolutely LOVED it. It was great to train with David and it was also great to know that what we have been doing "at the carport" wasn't so different than what the professionals are prescribing.

Jake invited me back to help with fine points of lifts, which I hope to take him up on. It was a great morning.

Then I was able to spend the rest of the day with my wife and son . . . . does life get any better? I submit to you that it does not!

CrossFit Visit - 03/21/08

Friday I stopped by CrossFit RVA to drop off a couple of tractor tires for them. I met Jake, Brandon and Andre. Poor Jake got splashed with the disgusting tire water that smelled like it came directly out of a sewer.

Except for Jake, they seem to be new to the tractor tires, but they all gave it a shot . . . some more successful than others. Jake showed me around and gave me a very quick history of their place. It was cool to see a CrossFit in real life after seeing all of the videos online.

Jake offerred to let me try the Concept II Rower, which I initially declined because I had just run 20 minutes earlier. That lasted about 20 seconds . . . I REALLY wanted to try the Concept II. He gave me a quick tutorial and let me have at it for 500m. I stopped once and started very slow, ending up at 1:44. I cannot WAIT to get one for my very own. That thing is addictive. You can actually go to the Concept II website and compare your times at different distances with rowers from around the world. VERY cool!

At the time of writing, I have actually already worked out with Jake, but I will write about that in another post.

Today's Workout - 03/21/08

Today's workout was simple in description . . . not so simple (for me, at least) in execution.

Two rounds of:

400 m run
30 Pushups

The rest period between rounds was equal to the amount of time that it took to complete the first round. My numbers are as follows:

Round 1 - 2:12
Rest - 2:12
Round 2 - 3:00

Total - 7:24

Looks like I found another weakness . . .

On another note, I went to CrossFit Richmond this evening and it was awesome. I'll post more about that tomorrow. Too late and too tired tonight.

Today's Workout - 03/19/08

Today's workout was taken from CrossFit and is called CrossFit Total. We did one rep max of Deadlift, Shoulder Press, and Squat. My numbers are as follows:

Deadlift - 375#
Shoulder Press - 155#
Squat - 235#

No excuses, but my back was not feeling right and I just stopped after two reps of squats. I have to take the numbers as they are though.

This gives me a CrossFit Total of 765, which is up even though my squat was horrible. According to CrossFit, this puts me (on a scale of "untrained, novice, intermediate, advanced, elite) between novice and intermediate. For advanced or elite, I am looking for totals around 1100-1400#!! Long way to go . . .

Again, the rest of the guys should post their numbers to comments. When they do, I will gauge their level on the scale, as well.

One Measly Round of Tabatas

Worked all day yesterday, 6:00 am until about 7:30 pm, so I was only able to knock out one round of Tabatas and then off to sleep . . .

Push-ups
BW Squats

121 reps total

There is a storm coming in, so we'll be "under the carport" tonight. Looking forward to it . . . going for TOTALS again.

KB article in The Wall Street Journal

Kettlebells are making their way into the mainstream . . .

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120579081638043241.html

Today's Training

Today was a quick one . . . we did the following:

Hand over Hand Sled Pull - 180# (50' rope)
Overhead Barbell Squat - 65# (10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps)
Yates Rows - 135# (10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps)
Wall Ball - 15# ball to 15 feet (20 reps, 16 reps, 12 reps)

We adjusted the weight for NW to 135# for HoHSP, 45# for OBS and 95# for YR. No stopping between sets (as is possible).

I learned today that I can't keep my stopwatch on my wrist while training. It was the first and last time for that. I kept turning the timer off with the movement of my hand. Now I know . . . so no time for me. Some of the other guys were able to time theirs. They will post them in comments.

Because we are limited with the amount of equipment we have, we try to give enough time between people starting, but invariably we are running over one another. We're going to have to try and figure it out as time goes by.

In the beginning . . .

One year ago, I didn't really even know what a blog was . . . now I am writing one! This blog will serve to show the progression of fitness developed in the lives of people who are committed to "training at the carport."

We started training together in the middle of December 2007 and have already experienced amazing results. We have added two members to our group and have one "on sabbatical" giving us a current active total of five. Our group ranges in age from 16 to 35 and we are students, business owners, and working stiffs.

We train with tires, rocks, logs, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, thick ropes, pick-up trucks and anything else we can find. Our goal is functional fitness and better quality of life.

So far, so good . . . .