30WOD2D1/2 – Twitchy

doms or dieSo, being a fan of jumping in the deep end I started 30WOD2 today. Here is the first instalment followed by day 2. Feels come after.

Day 1

Metcon (Time)
5 RFT
5 Power Cleans @ 165#/115#
10 Box Jumps @ 30″/24″
5 S2O @ 165#/115#
10 KB Swings @ 32kg/24kg

30 min time cap
use the same barbell for both bar lifts

Day 2

6 min AMRAP
plank hold on elbows
every time you break you must rest for 30 sec
score total time in plank

Metcon (AMRAP – Reps)
For Reps
5 min cal row
5 min Push-ups
5 min Step-ups @ 24″/20″
5 min Sit-ups

score total reps

So I am not scoring my reps but I have to say I thought I would be able to do a 6 minute plank in 2 parts. I was woefully incorrect. I think it took me 5 parts to get the whole thing done, the last stint was about 30 seconds I think. It’s day 3 right now, I have not looked at the workout but the big question is how do I feel?

I am pretty sore, yesterday was a lot of abs and I am core sore which I hate. I skipped the rowing and did rope jumps instead so my shins hurt too. These have actually been 2 very easy workouts so far, I think it’s a blessing that I started now since I can’t imagine having to do a Fran or a Cindy right now. My legs hurt from the box jumps and steps too which makes no sense since I have been squatting… Ugh there is no rhyme or reason to DOMS I guess. My legs are twitchy too. I had a hard time falling asleep last night because they were twitching. I have enough water, I think my electrolytes are a bit low.

The Return of 30WOD (And my nemesis the free handstand)

bro-you-cant-do-a-handstandAs is customary this time of year I am starting to get the feeling that I should be doing more HIIT and a little less static BB type work. The cure for this feeling last time was 30WOD where I did the Crossfit Ark WOD every day for 30 days. It was such a blur that I can’t even remember how it was, but I will bet it was at the very least a good break from whatever I was doing. It was August of last year when this took hold, but this morning in the car as we were driving to work I was thinking how nice it would be to finish off my cut early and get down to the sub 240’s before June and spend summer at my correct weight. With the way my diet is now and the way my body is feeling I think this is a perfect solution. The question I am sure you are asking is why? What is the driving force for this? Well, I seem to have 2 kinds of workout methodologies at work here. The HIIT method with high tempo heart pounding lighter weights is great for summer especially since I can be outside and have lots of space to work out, whereas the more static Body Building approach with heavy weights, shorter rep counts and isolated bodyparts is better for the winter when I have less room and can pack on a little weight to help with the heavier lifts. The problem is that I can never seem to get these two to play well together. In that vein, then, it’s time for 30WOD2. As a comparison I will show you my last 5 workouts and the last 5 workouts from Crossfit Ark and you will notice immediately what looks to be more fun… I’m not saying what I do on a regular basis is boring, but there is a limit to what you can do when you are framing within that lifting type. Plus last time I never really claimed victory over the free handstand…. That’s all I have to say about that.

So I have a dilemma to face. Do I finish my 26 day Body Beast snip that I was doing or switch straight into 30WOD2 today…

Simon Vs Crossfit

1. Squats, seated extensions, short range hamstring curls
2. T25 Alpha Total Body Circuit
3. Barbell inverted rows and chinups – 175 reps
4. Arms - Barbell curls with db finish. CLose grip bench with free dip finish – 180 reps
5. Shoulders with KB – Clean and press, upright row, front raise – 130 reps

1. Shoulder Press (2-2-2-2-2)
Perform 2 shoulder press every 3 min for 5 sets
score heaviest set

Metcon (Time)
21-15-9
Power Snatch @ 115#/75#
Pull-ups

2. For Time
800m run
100 Air Squats
100 Burpees
100 Walking Lunges
800m run
30 min time cap

3. Skill
Spend time 10 minutes accumulating time in a hanging L-sit on the rope.

Metcon
15 min AMRAP
2 Rope Climbs
3 Power Cleans @ 165#/115#
30 Sit-ups

4. Metcon (AMRAP – Reps)
20 Alternating Tabata Rounds of each:
Calorie Row
Wallball @ 20#/14#
Calorie Row

5. Mobility and Recovery
10 min Hamstring/Glute Stretching

Metcon (Time)
3 RFT
10 Deadlifts @ 275#/190#
20 Pull-Ups
20 min cap

 

A couple of things going on…

memestache.com_254462_1346018411It’s gymnastics competition time of the year, so my life becomes exponentially more busy when we are ramping up for actual competitions. We have a mock meet tonight and then our first competition of the year this weekend. This time of year reminds me just how much competitive sports have contributed to my successes as an athlete away from the gym. Learning how to handle competition is as much about learning to contain your self as it is beating other athletes. The ability to perform under pressure, to get things right each and every time and to rely on your ability to adapt to failures are all skills that my kids are learning and that I myself still use on a daily basis. Some of them hate to compete, they hate being put on show, they hate the pressure to perform and they hate the stress that accompanies the pressure to win. Others, however, take time to appreciate the opportunity to show what they have learned, the chance to be rewarded for their year long efforts and the now unfashionable opportunity to beat other kids. I was one of those kids. I wanted to perform, I wanted to keep pushing, to compete against others and to prove myself. To this day, and occasionally to my detriment I have that mentality, always trying to push harder, to improve and outperform where I already stand. Oddly enough, this is a skill like any other, I have found over the years that you can change an athlete’s approach enough that they can learn to appreciate (maybe not like) competition as an opportunity rather than a punishment. It’s an important skill too because even during training, far from competition season it’s important for them to have pride in their accomplishment and to continue to drive forward. Once they quit whatever competitive sport they have and are unleashed into the world to look after themselves their own sense of competitiveness and drive is the only thing that is going to keep them going. Not everyone can afford to go to a Crossfit box to get camaraderie, some people like me just can’t take that uber happy idiocy while I work out but it’s OK, I have a fire inside me that keeps me going. That is the thing I try to instil in my kids because I would say that even in this day and age of fitness awareness and healthy living almost all of my girls who I have coached have dropped out of activities once they quite gym. It’s actually really sad, because of course once they drop out they usually continue to eat like they are training 9 hours a week which ends quite badly. then they go off to university with little to no self discipline which is the very cornerstone of a successful first year. University is a success for those who have learned self reliance before they get there.

Take it from me. Listen when I tell you.

Focus on yourself not anyone else. All unhappiness comes from comparisons.
Develop blinders to what you are doing and don’t let anything distract you.
Expect that you will improve over time, but don’t expect every time to be perfect.
Have faith that you will reach your next goal because you have worked for it.
Celebrate the successes of you and your fellow athletes, however small, however large.
Constantly evaluate where you are and what you can do to move ahead.
Be fearless in your execution, knowing that your coach is there and that you have been appropriately led to that skill.
Be grateful for the opportunity to show your amazing talent.

 

In my personal life we have had some family issues both good and bad with health related problems and baby showers and for myself a back injury and a few weeks of nervous discomfort. It all seems to be in the past now, but I won’t be deadlifting again any time soon. That brings me to my adapted rotation for the coming weeks, based on the rotation from the Beast part of Body Beast:

It’s 26 days, probably 3 times through.

Bulk: Legs
Build: Back/Bis
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Rest
Bulk: Arms
Build: Shoulders
Bulk: Chest
Build: Legs
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Rest
Bulk: Back
Bulk: Arms/Abs
Beast: Cardio
Build: Chest/Tris
Bulk: Legs
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Rest
Build: Back/Bis
Bulk: Shoulders
Beast: Cardio/Abs
Build: Shoulders
Build: Legs
Build: Chest/Tris
Build: Back/Bis
Beast: Cardio
Rest

 

Scared To Death & The Drop.

Saturday I was doing deadlifts, form was good, weight was only 185, well within my limits when I set to pull and something popped in my back.

Those of you who have paid attention will know I have a long history of back pain and issues along with 2 major surgeries. I am very familiar with pain and what kind goes with what issue and I instantly knew this was nerve pain. That could only mean one thing, a disc herniation or some form of impingement. The surprising thing was that this was on the left side of my back, the opposite side from normal. I froze in a combination of pain and fear, knowing that the future of this kind of injury has only one logical conclusion. I searched in vain for my “back pills” a miracle fix me up called Arthrotec but I had none. My last back issue was before my last surgery around April of 2013 so even if I had some they would probably not be much good. I knew the only thing I could do was lay down and allow my back to rest, trying not to let the whole rear chain seize up in sympathy. This was where there lay a glimmer of hope. When I used to have problems the first thing that would happen is called a list, your whole body from your hips to your shoulders takes a sharp right turn. Oddly in the 20 years I have had back problems I have just one single picture of this event. back out again sep 13 05In the picture I am standing as straight as I can. As you can see, the list is severe, moving my entire upper body 6 inches across to the side. On Saturday there was plenty of pain, but no list. I knew the pain was nerve pain so this was confusing, adding to my paranoia and fear. Oh, and a rage that exceeds all reasonable bounds of human decency.

It’s at that point that I started to bargain with my body and promise that if this would just go away that I would promise no more heavy weights, no more body weight over 250lbs etc etc. I spent the next 2 days in a hazy pain killer induced fog popping anti inflammatories like candy in the hope that I would magically (and against all logic) make a full recovery. It was Easter, my health had died on the cross and the atheist karma finally came to fruition when on the third day it didn’t magically rise from the dead. However, it did make a significantly better recovery than I would have ever expected.

This was going to go one of 2 ways, either I would be significantly better, pointing to a possible ligament / tendon issue rather than a disc herniation or I would be crippled and pencilling in my third back surgery. I am fortunate to be able to sit here in chronic pain but with mobility rather than laying on the floor unable to move. Things could definitely be worse.

But it’s time to pay the ferryman.

I have been ambling towards a vague weight goal, my cut was more of an avoidance tactic for hitting 265lbs than a specifically targeted loss strategy.

I had increased during my fall strength / bulk and although I don’t have my stats sheet here I would think that as some point I was cruising around +30lbs or about 262lbs. My cut as it stands had me around 250lbs at one point right before I started with the creatine again and now I think I am about 255. But the time is a factor and I would like to see a 20lbs drop in about 2 months from now. That would put me back at 230-235 which is a weight I can live with. But I need to get this done ASAP in order to get as much unnecessary strain off my back as I can. 20lbs doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s a ton when it’s on your body.

So for the next few weeks it will be maintenance workouts, cut style diet and a firm eye on 235lbs. In 3 weeks it’s the Orangeville gymnastics competition, I would hope that I can make it to 245 before then, maybe even 240 if I push a bit.

Let me just state for the record, the last few days I have been scared out of my mind over what may happen. Regardless of how many times this has happened to me, it’s still a terrifying ordeal when your body betrays you.

Refeed. Or how to feel like a failure.

refeedThis weekend I encountered my first refeed while experimenting with the keto diet. I was feeling run down, exhausted actually and I thought that a replenishment of some healthy carbs would be OK. I figured my energy has been low the last couple of weeks since my cut is still in effect and I could use a cheat day / refeed. I have to say all it did was make me bloated and give me a bad case of intestinal discomfort. So it’s now Monday, I am trying to get over some poor workouts, a raging headache and stomach issues and also a slight cold that I think Nicole or Elyse gave me.

March 5 I did a KB workout at home and ever since then I have had rhomboid pain and severe numbing and pain in my right hand pinky finger. This is the same area that went numb a few years ago and never recovered. The pain has been pretty bad and although I can still do most things including pull-ups and deadlifts the pain at times is excruciating. It’s been a bit better the last week or so but it’s been a very long injury.

My “cut” has been since the start of February and I will continue until the end of march at which point I will start some strength and specific size training. I have some body parts that I really need to get into better shape, I am going to try and address the imbalance in my quads and glutes that came out of my first surgery. I am also going to try and increase my chest size, but not strength. I don’t have a big chest at all and I know my shoulders and triceps are responsible for most of my strength in my bench. So it’s time to try and address the chest thing once and for all.

The cut has been hard, I have had a tough time staying on task with some days being no deficit and with my workouts not being very hard I have been slowing my progress significantly. Hopefully I can get back on track this week and see myself getting around the 245 mark.

It’s also time to start thinking about where my workout stations are going to be this summer, if I am going to stay in the garage upstairs or try to stay out in the deck downstairs. I think I would like to stay out back this year, but that means bringing that damn horse stall mat down which weighs a ton. I can do some light barbell stuff out there up to maybe 200lbs but the heavy squats and DL will have to stay inside. At least that means I don’t have to split my weights between the garage and the basement.

I also wanted to add that my weight is uncooperative. Although my “stats” are slightly better I was back up to 252 last Saturday instead of being the 248 that I was expecting. I have also started taking Creatine again which last time ended up adding about 7lbs of water weight and although I felt bigger and stronger I also felt fatter and grosser. That’s not ideal.

 

Protein Bars (with protein powder)

protein bar totalsMakes 21 tiny bars in the epicure silicone tray I have so each one will have approximately:

 

 

130 calories
3g Carbs
12g Fat
7g Protein
2g Sodium
.6g Sugars

There may have been about a tablespoon of honey too, at the start I was afraid the mixture would be too dry, and it may still prove that they are dry to eat, in which case next time I will add heavy cream to the mix.

Don’t forget the fats are all healthy fats and the protein mostly comes from the protein powder which in this case was Diesel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

**I was lazy and didn’t print out the recipe for those on a mobile so here you go…

1 Cup ground almonds
8 tbsp ground flax meal
Diesel Cookies and Creme protein powder (120g)
8 tbsp coconut oil
100g unsweetened shredded coconut

2015R1D62 – I’m Down. Not So Basic. Intermediate Reintroduction.

I’m down about 10lbs total. I am sitting right at 252 but should be down in the 240s by the weekend. It’s not easy but not really that hard either thanks to my complete lack of appetite. I am planning on another 10 this month to get me sub-240 and I should start to look like that picture over there —> again. Nothing much to report regarding the workouts other than I have snuck kettlebells back into the system to replace some of the cardio. I feel the KB workouts are so much more beneficial as HIIT and as cardio workouts than what I do the other days and while the other workouts are good coordination and agility based, KB work is grinding out high HR work.

What happens to the person who did lift, now doesn’t but wants to start again? The process here is not like the new person who can be scared off by technical approaches or too much work. This person generally knows what it takes to succeed physically but may not have the knowledge to produce a workout system designed to orient them towards their goal whatever that may be. Let’s assume someone has 4 days to work out plus one extra day that will be a choice of either cardio or yoga. For those 4 days you will need to hit every body part, which naturally lends itself to bodyweight and compound movements. There needs to be an orientation towards what the final goal will be which is olympic / barbell lifting, kettlebell work, HIIT WOD type workouts and agility/speed workouts (depending on the focus). For arguments sake let’s take an athlete who wants to be able to perform specific tumbling moves, let’s say from back layout full to standing back tuck full or front 1 1/2 (Rudi) or in fact anything from Barani to Rudi Randi and Adolph. Any of these things require not just great technical skill but also a good strength foundation with lots of core strength and explosive strength through the hips.

So what kind of moves are we familiar with that require fast explosive hip movements? Well, clean and snatch come to mind. Also kettlebell swings and one arm kettlebell movements of any kind are well suited to this kind of development. Add some explosive sprint / weighted sprints / sled push type work and you have a recipe for successful support of the skill training.

Specifically let’s address the 5 day rotation which will give us 2 rest days in a week. I am not a fan of using the 7 day model but since most people have jobs that solidify their availability then we have to work around that.  Here are the 4 days.

Each day is split into 2 parts Crossfit style with a Strength portion and a conditioning or HIIT portion. We want to keep in mind the individual probably doesn’t want to spend an hour a day on this.

Day 1 – Strength – Legs, HIIT – Varied Jumps and wallballs (leg centric)
Day 2 – Strength – Shoulders, HIIT – Cleans and presses (shoulder / trap centric)
Day 3 – Strength – Back (Deads), HIIT – Pullups, Kettlebell swings, Turkish Get Ups
Day 4 – Strength – Chest (Bench), HIIT – Plyo / agility / sprints
Day 5 – Yoga / Cardio / Core specific work

2 rounds to load up to the final benchmarks and use the load up weeks as deload weeks where necessary.

Day 1 – Strength – Legs, HIIT – Varied Jumps and wallballs (leg centric)

Warmup 5×10 air squats plus 5×10 walking lunges

Air squats with 20lb collar 5×10 (20 calf raise for rest) – Will transition to barbell squats front and back
Front lunge 5×10 with 20lb collar (60s calf raise hold for rest) – Will transition to static barbell split squat
Back Lunge 5×10 with 20lb collar (Rest in 90 degree horse stance or half mid splits) – Replaced by hamstring curls or stiff leg DL

HIIT

Max effort long jumps tabata timed (4 minutes)
24″ box jumps tabata timed (4 minutes)
Full depth wallball 20lb 7×7

or

5 rounds of:

10x max effort long jumps
10x 24″ box jump
10 wallball @20lb

More to come…

Back To Basics? No Problem.

keep-calm-and-get-back-to-basics-5What is the most basic workout you can do to “survive” as an athlete? Injured, out of focus, surgery, distractions, University we all come up against times in our life when we need to get back on the wagon and maybe going straight to the gym isn’t the preferred method. Maybe a gym isn’t available, maybe at home is where the work needs to happen. If that’s the case then we need to take a quick look at what components we need to succeed. First let me say that anyone can afford the bare minimum of workout equipment which is a 25lb kettlebell for women and a 40lb KB for your average man. This is your health we are talking about and since you won’t be spending $8 a pop at Starbucks any more, the KB will be yours in a week. There are a MILLION youtube videos about kettlebell workouts, I don’t need to cover them here. Let me just say that the greatest full body movements there are involve kettlebells.

You can read this for a start!

The basic components of a successful eating plan are:
No sugar. Period.
No grains if possible.
Plenty of protein and quality fat.

The basic components of an at home workout of the most basic type are:
Bodyweight
Determination

Here’s a basic starter workout that can be done every other day:

30 Jumping Jacks
20 body weight squats
10 push ups (on stairs)
20 stair dips
20 walking lunges
10 Burpees
10 dumbbell rows (using a gallon milk jug or a cat)
30 second plank
20 body weight squats
30 Jumping Jacks

If you have access to a bar:

5×5 chinups
5×10 leg lifts

Here’s the kicker for the pushups and the bar work.

Start your pushups on the stairs, hands on the 3rd or 4th step up, nice easy incline. Each 2nd workout move down one step until you are doing them on the floor. Then, every week, progress up the stairs with your feet until you are basically doing 45 degree incline pushups like a boss.

For the bar, if you can’t do a strict chinup yet, start with kipping or beat chin-ups to help. Eventually you will be able to do 5 without stopping. Every other workout try to do one or two sets with maximum reps just to see how many you can do.

Leg lifts can be done as tuck ups at first and then bent leg lifts then straight leg.

This is a beginner workout and should be done for 4 weeks MAX. After that amount of time (or before) your body will be requesting more activity. As you go, you can increase the rep count as you see fit. FOR EVERYTHING not just the stuff you like.

By week 4 you should be doing something like this (it should be noted that these totals will be broken down into sets of 10 or so NOT INCLUDING THE JACKS)

50 Jumping Jacks
40 body weight squats
25 push ups (on stairs)
40 stair dips
60 walking lunges
25 Burpees
40 dumbbell rows (using a gallon milk jug or a cat)
60 second plank
40 body weight squats
50 Jumping Jacks

If you have access to a bar:

10×5 chinups
10×10 leg lifts

After 4 weeks it’s about time to step up the intensity and you should start to look at interval training and weight training. If you still don’t have access to weights you can still get a kick ass workout with bodyweight (or buy a kettlebell for $20):

Handstands
Tuck Jumps
Military Pushups
Pistol squats (One leg)
Hindu pushups
Feet on stairs shoulder press
Vsnaps with power crunch
Plank hold with hip touch
Pushup tuck jump pancake burpees

There is plenty that you can do in “Bootcamp” format to get into formidable shape. In fact, you can click on the tag cloud on the right and select any of the bootcamp tags or search bootcamp in the search box at the top of the page and find literally dozens of pre-made, pre-approved and successfully tested bootcamp workouts.