Category: Crossfit WOD Type Workouts

R5D44-7 – Off Sick But Trying

For the most part my workouts this week really sucked. I did the bare minimum until today, Friday, since I did nothing yesterday. So today, while feeling somewhat better I decided on the following:

AMRAP

10 x 205lb bench
5x KB Clean with 45lb and 70lb alternating each round
5 pullups

I managed 7 rounds total, 4 with 45lb KB and 3 with the 70lb KB. It was around 20 minutes but I am not too sure of the time since there were some distractions along the way. I feel like crap but it was good to get a decent sweat from working out rather than sitting on the couch shivering. Tomorrow is heavy day which will be a test with 5 rungs on each of the 5 ladders for the first time. At least I then get Sunday off…

R5D40/1 – I hate Chelsea. Not Just The Football Team…

Challenged myself to do the Chelsea workout again since last time I did Cindy I only managed 18 rounds from what I recall, and the last time I did Chelsea I gave up after 20 rounds. Since I only had 30 minutes to work out I assumed I would crash at 20 again and be done. Surprisingly, I didn’t struggle too much, and once I got to 20 rounds I stopped not because I had to but because I wanted to. I probably could have done another 10, my last round only took 35 seconds so my rest periods were still pretty long.

Chelsea:
Each minute on the minute for 30 minutes

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Result: 20 rounds in 20 minutes with air to spare…

Day 41 was a forced rest day due to time constraints imposed by very poor weather on the way home. In honour of having a day off I think next time for variety I am going to try to do the Art Of Strength Providence DVD. The layout is like this:

Round 1: 2-handed swing, one arm swing, hand-to-hand swing
Round 2: Cleans
Round 3: Chest presses
Round 4: Squats/sumo deadlifts
Round 5: One leg deadlift
Round 6: Windmills into an overhead squat
Round 7: clean and press
Round 8: Flip and squat
Round 9: Tactical lunges
Round 10: Triple crush
Round 11: Sling shot into a figure 8 with a static hold
Round 12: Seated press
Round 13: One arm row
Round 14: Pullovers, Russian twists, Sicilian crunch
Round 15: 3 minute snatch test

Thanks to fitprosarah.com for the outline.

We shall see how that goes, but I am itching to do something more with the KBs…


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…

R5D25-6 RKC, Breakfast Of Champions, Partial Rest Week.

eat_more_fishFriday I was still recovering from the swings and so I decided to bust out a lighter KB and do some TGU. I did 5 a side with the 25lb KB and then, since I was feeling adventurous, I did another 3 a side with the 45. I remembered I had weaseled out of the cleans and C&P the day before so again I set my sights on doing something extra. I did 5 Clean, 5 Clean and Press and 5 snatches with each arm with both the 25lb and 45lb KB. The snatch with the 45 was, if I am honest, borderline dangerous but I think with the 25 I am getting the hang of it.

Saturday I ended up doing around 30 minutes on the treadmill in the morning to try and stop my back from aching which worked out fine. I was supposed to do deadlifts and so I set up the 25, 45 and 70lb behemoth and decided I would do 3 tabata sequences (12 minutes total) deadlifting each KB with a high pull (or upright row) after each DL. The 25 was easy, although seemed longer than 8 sets. The 45 was a challenge and since I was still doing a high pull with each one, it was very taxing and my shoulders were on fire. The 70 just sat there like a fat pug smiling at me struggling with the 45 but out of sheer determination I gave it a shot anyway, it was only 70lbs, right? The High pull didn’t last long, I think I made it through one of the 8 sets. By the time the last set came around I was wheezing like an asthmatic goat and begging for someone to kill Tabata, whoever he is.

Sunday we went out to breakfast with an old friend from work with whom we had worked a few years ago to get her weight down. She brought her charming fiancé and while we caught up on old news the conversation inevitably turned to weight loss. Now I am not a preacher by any means but if someone is asking for advice I am happy to help. I tried in vain to explain my Paleo findings from the last 6 months to them but in the end it all started sounding a little too Conspiracy Theory. I often say that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that people do what I do but I do encourage people to follow a similar path and to do their own research. The conversation was an eye opener for them, and I think a good opportunity for me to sort out in my own head where I am with my diet and exercise. Maintaining this blog has been a way for me to monitor my progress, attempt to safeguard me from being too extreme and to keep up with recent discoveries in the world of fitness and nutrition but also it gives me the opportunity to help other people to start discovering their own potential. By potential, I don’t mean physical potential, I am talking about the potential to take control of their lives by erasing everything they know and starting over from a new place.

Starting over is never easy, in fact, making small adjustments is never easy and with that in mind I am going to shake up my life a little by entering into a 7 day rest week. I am going to maintain my RKC swings and other lifts but I think a sprinkling of P90X and Insanity may do me the world of good as a break. I am already on a fish kick to restart my weight loss, since I discovered the real reason for my plateau this weekend during our breakfast. “I’m happy where I am” I admitted. I am comfortable with my weight and my abilities at this point, but I think I may be even happier further down the road. So I am revamping things a little in order to get the engine started again.

So here goes:

Day 1 – Monday – P90X  Plyo or Insanity Cardio Plyo
Day 2 – Tuesday – RKC 50 Swings
Day 3 – Wednesday – RKC TGU plus Clean, C&P, Snatch practice
Day 4 – Thursday – P90X Kenpo or Insanity Pure Cardio
Day5 – Friday – RKC 50
Day 6 – Saturday – Same as Wednesday
Day 7 – Sunday – Fountain Of Youth Yoga or Yoga X

Plus… More fish! (But not less bacon…shhhh!)

R5D23 – Chest Blast

arnold-chestI hit a couple of walls today during my workout which was really weird. I think I was a little short on calories during the day and ran out of juice for my bench workout. Oddly enough I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be up for benching my weight but also wanted to try something a little different.

The Plan:
5x 135# for 10 reps plus 10 dips

The Reality:
3x 135# for 10 reps plus a very sketchy 10 dips

Followed by:

3x 10 regular bench + 10 close grip bench @135#
20 push ups every minute on the minute

I managed to struggle through the bench even though it was only 135lbs and was still feeling a bit frustrated with my obvious lack of strength (couple that with the fact I weighed in a couple of pounds up this morning which only added to my psychological discomfort) so when I got to the push ups I decided I would go until I failed.

That took 8 rounds.

Colour me unimpressed with myself today, however, I feel like I got a great workout, even if it took until I couldn’t get off the floor to get there.

R5D22 – TGU And Revisiting My Plan

So I had originally outlined Round 5 as the following 8 day rotation:

Day 1 – RKC Minimum Swings (The RKC Minimum is 4 weeks, then transition into Rite Of Passage)
Day 2 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 3 – Bench and dips (Chest, shoulder, tri)
Day 4 – Cardio or stretch or Yoga

Day 5 – RKC Minimum Swings
Day 6 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 7 – Deadlifts and Squat (Legs and Back)
Day 8 – Cardio or stretch or Yoga

Somewhere along the line I declined to do the cardio and set about making 2 x 3 day rotations looking like this:

Day 1 – RKC Minimum Swings (The RKC Minimum is 4 weeks, then transition into Rite Of Passage)
Day 2 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 3 – Bench and dips (Chest, shoulder, tri)

Day 4 – RKC Minimum Swings
Day 5 – RKC TGU and WOD
Day 6 – Deadlifts and Squat (Legs and Back)

I am, however, not convinced that skipping cardio all together is the greatest idea. You see, I am sore much of the time which is not really a problem per se, however, I find that I am skipping days when I am not up to the grind where I could definitely do a cardio workout instead. So since I have been at this Round 5 lark for coming up to a month now I think maybe I will inject a little cardio back into my weeks and see how I feel.

R5D20 – 5×5 Weighted WOD

mv30_su2_2On the way back from work today I bought myself a 50lb MIR weighted vest. Since I lost the last 40lbs I have wanted to reward myself with something, since I was supposed to do so when I reached 250lbs. It makes sense that I should get a weighted vest since I am now doing less when I do pull ups since I weigh less. So I researched a little online and it seems that MIR has the best vests and FitnessSource in Richmond Hill had one in stock. Let me just say that if I ever meet Mr Mir I am going to run him over with my car for inventing something so blatantly evil.

I set out to do back day, something with 135lb deadlifts and pull ups. I decided that a quick 5 deadlift, 5 pull up combo would be just the ticket. I wanted to be done in under 30 minutes so I put a time cap of 15 minutes on the 5×5 sets. I then put on the vest and got to work. I had taken 30lbs out of the vest so that I was wearing 20lbs to start with, a good idea since after the first set of pull ups I was astounded at how  hard they were. Regardless of that, when I picked up the box that the vest came in I couldn’t believe that it was the same as the weight I have lost, I momentarily had my mind blown!

I blew through the first 5 sets in 5 minutes before I hit difficulties. It took me another 8 minutes to do the last 5 and since I knew I wasn’t going to make another, I stopped at an even 10 rounds. I was pretty gassed but happy at the number however it wasn’t until I took off the vest that I realized just how heavy 20lbs is. Even though this was the first workout I have done, I am already very happy with the purchase. I don’t think I will ever be running in the thing but for doing bodyweight workouts which is my focus right now, it is amazing. I can’t wait to do some squats, pushups and box jumps in it and even try to get through an insanity workout with it on! So

Filthy Fifty – One Day Soon

50beerI found this on the internet today and decided I would give it a shot the next time I am looking for a gut busting, punish yourself for not working hard enough day at the gym

I was looking for something to push myself with in order to banish the sour taste I have in my mouth after my strength and conditioning session with my gymnasts last evening. I feel like they didn’t work anywhere near hard enough and as their coach, that was my fault. I need something to refocus myself and since today is supposed to be cardio day, maybe I will hurt myself instead.

It’s their turn tomorrow…

 

 

The Filthy Fifty

50 Box Jumps (24in box)

50 Jumping Pull-ups

50 Kettle Bell swings (16kg)

50 Walking Lunges

50 Knees to Elbows

50 Push Press (45lb)

50 Back Extensions

50 Wall Ball shots (20lb ball)

50 Burpees

50 Double Unders