I decided to try the WOD from yesterday’s Fitbomb entry which looked like this:
Strength:
Turkish Get Ups (45lb KB) (I made it through 15 per side, 1-2-3-4-5)
Metcon:
5 sets:
12 deadlift 155lb
9 hang clean 155lb
6 push press 155lb (it was actually jerk press but I decided to push)
I got through the first set OK but felt like my back was not comfortable with the weight so for set 2 I dropped back to 115lbs instead. The last thing I need right now is a back injury after all. I managed to struggle through 4 sets and for the last set since my back was aching I decided to do 27 pullups instead. Since I had done 15 turkish get ups each side to start I figured it wasn’t a bad workout overall. However, I know that my strength really needs work since I stopped going to the gym and doing static weight training.
I’m not going to dwell on it though, if I can only deadlift 115 for my workouts instead of 155 it’s not the end of the world, no matter what the demon in my head tells me.
I was all ready to go today with day 2 of the RKC but after I got home, looked after the baby while my wife went to the gym and ate some of the delicious chili I made I was not really feeling up to it. So I decided to wait until after I coached meaning when 8pm rolled around I had to drive home and face a workout. This was not ideal, however, I stuck to my guns and at least did my 5 minutes of Turkish Get Ups and also did several cleans to try and understand how you are supposed to do that without extensive bruising to the forearm. I figured I had better work it out now before I have to do lots of them during the next stage. I was supposed to do a WOD also but I couldn’t face it even though I had toyed with the idea of doing this:
Oh well. It’s chest, bench and dips today so I should be able to handle that even though I have to coach, again, at 8pm.
BTW I did the TGU with the 45lb KB, something which I have not tried before and I was, at several points, fearing for my life, specifically my face which was directly under the bell. Nothing like motivation to keep hold of the bar.
I was planning to take today off, since the last 2 days of kettlebell exploration have left me sore in some curious places. I thought it would be a good idea to try the Turkish Get Up skill that so many people exalt as a wonderful full body exercise. I had toyed with the idea once before but shyed away from it due to the fact that I believed it would be an exercise in futility. After all, if I have trouble getting up after a burpee, why would this be any easier. Well, I am happy to report that I was completely wrong. The skill, although difficult given my large frame and small flexibility was eminently possible. In fact, I shocked and delighted
(you knew that was coming) myself by being able to do both sides the first time I tried. It really is not that hard of a skill however, the work required to complete the skill is mind blowing. I had started out thinking that I was just going to see if I could do it and try to perfect my form however I ended up doing 3 sets of declining numbers:
2 sets of 3
2 sets of 2
2 sets of 1
This was done on each side giving a total rep count of 24 reps. Before I am accused of lying by omission I did not use my new 45lb KB for this, that would have been impossible and reckless, instead I used a 25lb DB from the basement and did the skill on the hardwood floor in front of the computer watching the demo. That is not something I would recommend, by the way. By the time I was finished, my body was well worked, I could tell that the core requirements for this skill are intense and that curiously the hardest part for me was not getting to my knees but standing from the kneeling position. I guess doing lunges with a weight overhead is not something I have done before. Also, I suppose if I had done overhead squats before now I would have had less of a challenge balancing a weight overhead as I try to move about. I added 5 sets of 5 pull ups just for fun since it feels like forever since I did pull ups and they felt great! The workout in all took about 25 minutes with rest and almost falling down. Long enough to cook sausages… 5 minutes Turkish, 5 minutes. By the way this short clip contains several of my favourite quotes from Snatch, most notably “Protection from what? Ze Germans?” but it is probably nsfw…
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.
I decided to try the WOD from yesterday’s Fitbomb entry which looked like this:
