Tag: Cindy

R9D73/4 – RKC At Work And Chelsea 20 Double Time

For some reason, I have yet to complete a round of Chelsea, I always seem to get stuck around 20 minutes probably because I am thinking about Cindy. Since it’s not a good idea to be thinking about one woman when you are with another I need to get my head sorted out. They are both similar, with the differences outlined here:

Chelsea:
Each minute on the minute for 30 minutes

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Cindy:
AMRAP in 20 minutes:

5 pull-ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats (Air Squats)

The thing is that apart from kettlebells, the pullup, pushup, squat workout is one of the best and simplest workouts you can do, that’s why I love it so much. So this time for a bit of a change I thought I would do this:

10 rounds of:

10 pullups
20 Pushups
30 Squats

It was much tougher than the others, getting to 10 pullups by the end was a chore but mostly doing 30 squats each time proved far more challenging than I had anticipated. However, I struggled through in about 25 minutes including a short warmup.

The previous workout had been RKC at work and it’s becoming a pretty standard workout now like this:

5 rounds of:

5 C&P each side
5 Snatch each side
20 Swings

It’s a good, quick workout and makes my heart rate go pretty wiggy so it’s definitely working!

 

R7D88 – P90X2 and Cindy (Kicking My Ass)

Its finally here for pre-order, P90X2, the much anticipated sequel 2 years in the making (make that actually 7 years waiting for those who got the P90X bug in 2004). You can check out the new glitzy looking P90X2 page here.

I’m bothered by a couple of things already.

First is the name, could they really not come up with a better name than P90X2? It reeks of laziness.

Second, the packaging makes me nervous that this is going to be just as gimmicky and redundant as Insanity:Asylum turned out to be. I can’t be the only one who thought that I:A was a waste of money, and I am still hoping that although you can get a package containing all the equipment you need, you don’t actually need it at all…

I know they need to make money, but charging $180 for a stability ball ($20 at Walmart), 2 8lb medicine balls ($16 each online), a foam roller ($15 anywhere) and a pair of push up stands ($20)  is excessive to say the least. Those prices are RETAIL for a total of around $70 which BB could sell for $40 and still make money.

I am not about to give up on Tony just yet. I think there is a lot of research and science in the BB products and I am willing to bet without the gimmicks, P90X2 will be just as popular as the original. Keep your bodyparts crossed everyone.

Back to reality. 

Last night, Cindy kicked my ass. I thought I had her for a good 25-30 rounds as I started but by the time I had counted 15 I knew defeat was only a matter of time.

It doesn’t sound like much:

AMRAP (As many rounds as possible) in 20 minutes

5 chin ups
10 push ups
15 air squats

but don’t let that fool you. The first time I did this I came up with 13 rounds but quit after only 15 minutes. I don’t think I have ever done a “real” Cindy which is AMRAP but I did try a Chelsea which is 30 rounds in 30 minutes, doing 1 at the start of every minute. That went better, a little, but I only managed to get to 21 rounds in 30 minutes. My final attempt at Chelsea turned up 20 rounds in 20 minutes but there is a significant issue here. If you are required to do one per minute, it seems different than if you are doing them in your own time. Mostly because you have a forced rest after each repetition. I don’t think it is because I am less fit now than I was, even though last time I claim to have done 20 with “air to spare”. Then again, claiming and doing are two separate animals.

Result: 21 rounds in 20 minutes out on the deck in 32 degree weather. Damn you Cindy.

I had planned to do the Insanity Fit Test also, but with my calf injury it wasn’t going to be possible. Not only that, I am not a fan of the Insanity Test really so I am not going to hold myself to it. The bigger problem is that my calf is going to hamper my attempt at a 1k run time and my completion of Game Time and Overtime. Test week may not survive as designed, but it is definitely something I will tag on the end of each round to finish with a bang.

 

WOD’s I Have Done

Here is a list which will be expanded as I do more. In addition, there is a great list of the descriptions of the “Nasty Girls” workouts here:

Nasty Girls

(Thanks to Colin McNulty for the hard work)

Fran:
21 Thrusters 95lbs
21 Pull Ups
15 Thrusters 95lbs
15 Pull Ups
9 Thrusters 95lbs
9 Pull Ups

Chelsea:
Each minute on the minute for 30 minutes

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Cindy:
AMRAP in 20 minutes:

5 pull-ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats (Air Squats)

Fight Gone Bad:

  • Wall ball: 20 pound ball, 10 foot target. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
  • Sumo deadlift high pull: 75 pounds. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
  • Box Jump: 20″ box. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
  • Barbell push-press: 75 pounds. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
  • Row: Your butt off. Each calorie burned (according to the monitor) is scored as 1 point.

Barbara:
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Elizabeth
21 – 15 – 9 Reps
135lb Clean
Ring Dips

Elizabeth:
21 – 15 – 9 Reps
135lb Clean
Ring Dips

Sally:

For time, x 5, 2 minute rest between sets
30 wide push ups + 10 wide pull ups
30 regular push ups + 10 reverse pull ups
30 military push ups + 10 narrow pull ups

Round 4 Day 12 – I Hate Cindy (and a throwback to day 4)

So Day 9 was as promised, a version of Cindy however I only managed 15 minutes not the full 20. After 1 round I felt like I was going to die. I managed 13 rounds in the 15 minutes. It was odd though, I thought my chest would explode after 2 rounds but then I think my brain shut off to protect me from myself and suddenly there was 2 minutes to go. My heart rate hasn’t been that high in a VERY long time. I think I was over 160bpm for almost the whole thing!

I found a piece of paper this morning with my workout from Day 4 and realized that I had inadvertently done what I had interpreted as Fran. I was disappointed since this week I had it in my head that I was over Cindy and moving to Fran but now I have to find another partner.

FWIW these are the “real” versions of Cindy and Fran:

Cindy

AMRAP 20 minutes

5 pull-ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats (Air Squats)

Fran

For time (I am not sure how they measure the required weights however)

21 thrusters
21 pull-ups
15 thrusters
15 pull-ups
9 thrusters
9 pull-ups

As I stated at the top, Cindy almost crushed me but surprised me at how high I could get my HR to go and also surprised me at how proud I was of myself even though I had only managed 15 minutes not the full 20.

I can tell, I am going to be inventing my own versions, naming them after people I detest and touting them as the “I once had and injury so I can’t do burpees” versions for the still tentative crowd.

Round 4 Day 9 – The Stuttering Start (And Paleo Saves My Life)

October 8 2010

While I should have taken 9 days to get to day 9 in fact I have already taken 12 days. This is partly due to the fact my parents are in from out of the country and that we were away last weekend. That being said, I could have put up better numbers. I am averaging 2 days on one off which at the current intensity isn’t going to cut it. This is the sad attempt so far:

P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF
P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups
OFF
OFF
GYM Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Cardio Power and Resistance
OFF
GYM Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups

P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF
P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups
OFF
OFF
GYM Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Cardio Power and Resistance
OFF
GYM Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
WOD with Pullups

I also am getting the feeling that I am doing too little insanity however I guess that as long as I include the MetCon part of the WOD I will be fine with the cardio workout. Also, if I can keep up walking in the morning 3 days a week it should be enough.

I am also going to start making a concerted effort to jump on the Paleo bandwagon. Now, lots has been said about Paleo and the caveman diet but without sounding like a jerk I was into this when I was in high school. I remember one summer I followed the meat and fruit/veg diet and got pretty amazing results. However I was subject to much ridicule in my house and from my coworkers due to the fact that I was a “weightlifter” but wouldn’t touch pasta or bread, something that back in the late 80’s made you seem like a complete idiot.

After reviewing FitBomb’s entry about his reasons for going Paleo I find that the same reasoning resonates with me now just as it did back then. So for the forseeable future ( now that the weekend carrot cake has finally been finished) I will do the Paleo dance and attempt to reign in my weight before Christmas. I should be hanging around the 220 mark, something that is barely on the horizon from where I stand at this point. Sure I am fit and strong but I also feel like I am a heart attack on legs due to my weight. Given my advanced age (40+) and my family history of heart problems it’s probably time I took steps to stay out of the pine overcoat as long as possible and exercise alone isn’t going to cut it. Not that my diet is usually filled with fast food and donuts but making the switch to Paleo and getting away from the refined sugar and flour is something I think is really going to make a difference.

It’s my WOD day today and rather than sticking with my pullups/jumpups/squats I am going to try a real MetCon and try to see how I do. My choice is Cindy as follows:

As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes:

5 pullups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats (Air Squats)

This is supposed to be mixed with an indeterminate amount of Turkish Get-ups, something that  I will have to try before I commit. I think weightless Turkish Get-ups may be all I can manage for now.