Tag: variety

Variety Is The Spice Of Life (and the pain in my chest)

Variety day went off almost as planned, it was a chest-centric WOD like this:

For time:

  • 20 Bench chest extension (45lb KB)
  • 30 bench press (205lb)
  • 40 V-Snaps not Abmat sit-ups
  • 50 squats
  • 20 bench press (205lb)
  • 50 squats
  • 40 V-Snaps not Abmat sit-ups
  • 30 bench press (205lb)
  • 20 Bench chest extension (45lb KB)

Since the 70lb KB was too much to manhandle for the chest extensions, I ended up using the 45. It was not for lack of trying and I almost wound up with a 70lb brain surgery. The bench wasn’t easy either and I realize that doing this for time was not a mistake, but rather a completely different beast than taking my time and working until I was done. That said, there was simply no way that I was able to get the weights changed and attempt to do 20 255lb bench presses this time around. I know I can do it, just not sandwiched in between all the rest of the movements. The whole thing took 18 gut busting minutes and since I very rarely do any kind of abdominal work, the situps (or vsnaps in this case) were a killer too. I don’t know what 18 minutes is like for this, I am sure if I do it again I would do better, so maybe I will wait until then to pass judgement.

Saturday at 11pm I was at work for a scheduled network downtime which lasted until 630am. Not only that, driving there in a huge blizzard when the roads weren’t plowed was ridiculously dangerous. Anyway, I was so tired I skipped heavy day and since at this point (as stated several times) the workouts are pretty much the same, I am not doing a catch up day, just moving on. Sunday, on the couch watching Liverpool gloriously dismantle Manchester United I was filled with a warm glow and a searing pain in my abs and chest. That’s timed WOD’s for you though, I love them, but I hate them!

R5D35/37 – Medium Day / Rest Day/ More Variety

Medium day again for Wednesday which is getting better and the 50 swings, although still disconcerting, are getting done. 8 minutes worth this time. We also added an extra ladder, so we are at 4.

C&P left 1
C&P right 1
Pull Up 1
C&P left 2
C&P right 2
Pull Up 2
C&P left 3
C&P right 3
Pull Up 3
The pullups have gone from 5 to the Rx number simply because I am doing strict to the chest pull ups not the beat-n-cheat kind.

Rest 1-2 min repeat another 3x for a total of 4 ladders.

50 swings with 20 seconds rest between sets for a total of 8 minutes.

Thursday I decided to take as rest day, I had to be at coaching early and since I know on Friday I will be home early with plenty of time before my 6pm coaching gig it made sense to take Thursday off and use Friday as my variety day.

chest_musclesVariety this time is a bench day for me but I think this time I will work a light (225lb) bench into the following WOD:

For time:

  • 20 Bench chest extension (70lb KB)
  • 30 bench press (205lb)
  • 40 Abmat sit-ups
  • 50 squats
  • 20 bench press (255lb)
  • 50 squats
  • 40 Abmat sit-ups
  • 30 bench press (205lb)
  • 20 Bench chest extension (70lb KB)

Some people may say that the laying chest extension is actually a lat exercise and to a degree they are correct, the lats and pecs are involved with the movement which qualifies it for Crossfit almost perfectly.

R5D31 – The Stunning Revelation (and chest day)

fat davidI decided to do a short chest workout since I was pressed for time getting to coaching. Always looking for weird and bizarre ways to work out I came up with this:

Bench:
5 reps, rest 10 seconds x 10 @ 135lbs
5 reps, rest 10 seconds x 7 @ 205lbs
3 reps, rest 10 seconds x 5 @ 255lbs

50 dips – Total workout time, under 20 minutes.

The bench was tough, I knew resting so little would reduce both my rep count and my weight so I was prepared to be both finished early and disappointed with the numbers. However, I managed 15 reps at 255lbs which is currently more than my body weight so I am learning to be satisfied. I am a little concerned over my triceps with all the KB work and how little work they seem to get even with the C&P so I will endeavor to get more tricep dips done on chest day.

We did weigh in 1 for Biggest Loser at work yesterday and I rolled in at 254.4. Granted, I had eaten breakfast(s) and had coffee and held off on the bathroom stop but still, it was pretty high. We have 3 months, and I would like to see 230 something. It’s pretty ambitious I know but if I can find a way to get there on the Paleo diet without really changing what I eat that much it will definitely solidify my belief in the system.

So what is the revelation?

I read a blog this morning about a guy who has lost a lot of weight and something struck me like a hammerblow to the face. he said “I like food. Actually, that’s not true. I love food.” and I stopped cold and thought to myself, “man, I used to say that all the time.”. In fact, I then thought of M over at NomNomPaleo who says on her front page “I love to eat. I think about food all the effing time. It borders on obsession.” and I realized that I used to be like that too but ever since I have given up grains, I haven’t felt that way about food. I would have considered myself a compulsive overeater it was that bad. I used to eat until I was physically uncomfortable, I was usually hungry, and if not hungry, bungry, hangry or sungry. For those who don’t know:
Bungry – Bored not hungry, but eating anyway.
Hangry – Angry not hungry, but eating anyway.
Sungry – Sad not hungry, but eating anyway.

Sound familiar to anyone? If so, you need to step away from whatever low fat snack you have in your hand, pretending that it is healthy because the bag says so and learn to kill your inner food demon. That demon feeds on grains and it won’t go away until you starve it to death. This may sound like an epic oversimplification but I am only living proof that it works. In a stark turnaround I am now able to look at my relationship with food as something completely different. It’s not a relationship any more. It is a one way street, and that is the way it should be. Anyone who says they have a relationship with food is already in trouble, and treating your addiction / obsession as a living thing is  not going to solve your problem. Your link to food should be one of objective observation and selection. In that way you can admire food, you can manipulate food, you can even love certain foods but they don’t control any aspect of your life. I don’t have a relationship with food, food is just food, it’s just stuff like engine oil or a bag of screws it doesn’t have any emotional effect on me any more. Now that doesn’t mean that when I had Virgil’s brisket in NYC last week I wasn’t close to tears, but that is a reaction, not an attraction.

It has been such a gradual process that I really didn’t realize how big of a change it was until today. I was thinking yesterday that I haven’t had any refined sugar since my parents were here in October of last year and how little I miss it. It seems incredible that I have stuck to what some people would think is a “tough diet” but in all honesty, this is the easiest lifestyle change I have ever made. Maybe it is because my “cravings” were usually for salty and meaty not sweet, maybe that is what helped me the most, but I would bet dollars to donuts that anyone can do exactly what I have.

Sorry grains, it was fun, but it’s over.

..and besides, Ricky Gervais says it’s not a disease…