30 March 2012

I should start off by offering my condolences to all of you, like me, who did not win MegaMillions.

Winning Ticket: 2-4-23-38-46 MB 23
My Ticket: 2-5-18-40-54 MB 43

Do you know the odds of me drawing those numbers!? 1/170,000,000. I am so lucky! (I should thank Feynman for that one).


AM Workout
OHP: 1x5@155lbs- deload 2x5@135lbs
Assistance: 20kg KBS to failure (50reps) Handstand push-ups

PM Workout
"Barbara": 00:31:12

5 Rounds for time:
20 pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 squats

Rest three minutes between sets.

OHP was heavy this morning. I felt good through the first set but knew I wasn't going to be able to finish it out. I made it through the first couple reps of the second set and had to rack the weight. I went for it again but wasn't able to get it. Deloaded 10% and crushed it with the 135. Today's failure really highlighted where my weakness is on OHP and it is the first 3-6 inches of the drive. Getting the bar past my chin is difficult without using your legs to boost it up, remember I am performing straight press with no legs. I do think that working handstand push-ups will help. Doing a perfect handstand push-up requires you to get your head all the way to the floor. While not totally mimicking the range of motion of the OHP I think it will benefit in me working to explode from the static position. I weigh about 210lbs so if I can lift my fat ass up I can surely lift 155lbs.

Barbara was ridiculous, as she always is. I needed a break during the pull-ups, as is typical. I was telling Tammy that we really need to work on getting stronger with the pull-ups. Strict pull-ups with no kipping. Once we get that down then we can work the kipping. Fully exhausted and I have to go teach my rowing class tomorrow in the early AM.Much needed sleep is in my immediate future.

Cheers!

29 March 2012

DL: 3x5@255lbs
Hang Cleans: 4x10@135lbs
MetCon: 3 rounds for time of 10 burpees,10 WBs, 25DUs 00:06:07

DLs were easy. As I said previously I went light so as to ensure my technique is solid before I really add in some weight. Hang cleans were done to really think about popping the hips and focusing on being explosive. Technique was pretty solid and I felt really good today.

Tammy invented the MetCon because she wanted to do DUs. I was really impressed with both of our performances today regarding DUs. We were both crushing out 5,10,15 DUs in a row. Much more than we have ever been able to do before. Seeing progress is really cool. The MetCon sucked though. I always think they will be easy but they never are.

Cheers!

28 March 2012

I was at a funeral and so I took today as an off day. Scheduled off but I could have done some tech stuff. Probably better I stayed away from the gym because I would have done some crazy workout and I really could use the rest. Plus post-funeral drinking would not have gone well with working out.

27 March 2012

AM Workout
BP: 3x5@210lbs
Assistance: 3 rounds of 21push-ups, 15dips, 9 overhead tricep extensions

PM Workout
"Del": 00:20:30

The AM workout for the BP follows the core of the crossfit strength bias PDF . The assistance exercises are gleaned from www.crossfit-strength.com and their prescribed assistance exercises for days involving heavy bench. After doing the workout this morning my arms are smoked. Tammy feels likewise. I think the 3 rounds may have been a bit too much but overall, not bad.

PM workout was the most ridiculous. There is nothing else to say.

Tomorrow is off.

Cheers!

26 March 2012

AM Workout

BS: 3x5@225lbs

Power Clean: 1x8@135labs into 1x15@95lbs

PM Workout

Mainsite WOD scaled

For time: 21-15-9 BS@185lbs 24kg KBS

00:06:50

It felt really great to get back into working out today. The morning workout was a breeze. I was getting really low and focusing on removing the asymmetry that has plagued my lifts lately, I spoke about it in regards to my core strength and overall DOMs post-lifting. I was really trying to create the drive and flex with both sides of the body. Power cleans were for purely for technique. I really tried to pop with the hips after the deadlift portion of the exercise. It felt really explosive, as it should have, during the 95lbs reps. I am going to study some more on the mechanics of this lift and try and see where I need to improve. Tammy and I are thinking of taking the Oly-lift course at the crossfit gym here.

Work was intense as usual. I got to eat before we treated the afternoon HDR patient which was a little after the noon hour. I am going to really try to make time during the day to eat. Lately it has been me scarfing my food for the day during a small window of time. I think this will really come into handy whilst doing the two-a-days.

The WOD was of course ridiculous. I thought scaling the workout would make it a bit more manageable but no, it was still terrible. Tammy smoked me by over a minute, 00:05:34. She scaled the workout to BS:95lbs and 16kg KBS. The woman is a beast so I don't feel too bad about it. We also practiced some DUs which Tammy is really beginning to get the hang of. She did something like 15 or 20 in a row. I couldn't sit back and get dominated on everything so I tried again and did much better than I have previously. 7 in a row is a personal best. Nothing like a bit of competition to get your ass in gear.

The sickness isn't really affecting me so much as allergies are. Breathing was tough during the WOD today. Overall feeling good. I am going to read some rhetoric teachings and crash out so I can do it all over again.

PostScript: I have been researching for a post about epigenetics regarding strength and fitness. I hope to find more literature about the topic and ask some questions before I showcase my ignorance of the topic to the world. Keep an eye out and hold me accountable.

I am not down with the sickness

I haven't posted in the blog for nearly 2 weeks because I have been afflicted with the sickness. Some sort of upper respiratory infection that really kicked my ass. I had to miss work Friday March 9th after the OHP workout where I felt like garbage. I felt a bit better over the weekend and then stupidly decided to work out which set me back for quite some time. I feel much better, nearly 100%, and tomorrow I am going to pick it back up. The only change I am going to add is additional workouts.

The idea is to keep the strength aspect of the training while adding in some more metabolic conditioning, more circuit training. Tammy and I discussed and are going to meet in the mornings for lifting and tech work such as double-unders, handstand push-ups, kipping, and hopefully some muscle-ups once the rings get in. In the afternoon we will be doing the main-site WODs. I am still a bit skeptical at doing the main-site WODs because if it doesn't mesh well witht he strength aspect of the training I can see it really screwing us up. What I mean is that I am not sure how our body's will react to say 3x5 squats Monday morning followed by a heavy thrusters circuit at night. That's a lot of legs. Conversely, if we do 3x5 squats Monday morning and then a heavy upper body exercise, how will that affect bench press the next day...? I don't know. This will be a cool experiment. I will likely go by the main-site WODs while listening to what my body is telling me. Everything can be scaled or tailored to suite one's personal preference at that time. If I am tired or really sore I will back off etc. I am still trying to learn how to reign in the ego in regards to workouts.

Tomorrow 6:30am will be 3x5 squats at 225. I am going to drop the weight significantly as I am coming off a long break and I want to make sure the body can handle it. 9-10hrs of work then another workout...I really want to take the heavy stuff easy until I am feeling a bit more comfortable with the increased training volume. Trying to be smart here. Another reason being is that Mehdi from stronglifts sent out an email highlighting the importance of going parallel on the squat. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to make sure that I was completing a proper squat.

Cheers!

13 March 2012

BP: 3x5 @205lbs
Dips: 45lbs x15

Bench felt good. Working on getting swole.

12 March 2012

BS: 3x5 @255lbs

Felt a bit heavy but I am suffering from the sickness.

9 March 2012

OHP: 3x5 @145lbs Handstand Push-ups: Tech I felt like shit today. Tired, lethargic, and I woke up with a sore throat. I typically do strict press but today I was struggling. I had to de-load to 135lbs in the last set and it was still difficult. Tammy and I worked the handstand push-ups. It was a lot of the first three inches work from the ground up. We even did assisted work. Switching training to more functional strength has really highlighted some if my physical weaknesses. I have found that I am working very asymmetrically. My right side dominates to the point now that weight is becoming a factor, I am much more sore on that side. It is frustrating because the solution is to drop weight and retrain at lighter weight to work that muscle memory. I see a lot of assistance work in my future .

8 March 2012

DL: 3x5 @245lbs
Clean and Jerk: 1x15 tech

I went really light on the lifts today. My warmup was making my legs cramp! Warmup is 3x10 of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, overhead squat and a light row of whatever I feel it is usually about 500-1000m.
I can trace the over-soreness back to squats on Monday. The 3x3 @295lbs is really close to what I was plateauing (is that a word?) at during my 5x5 days. I got to 5x5 at 305lbs. So according to that I have maintained a lot of that strength which is awesome. What is not awesome is me doing so much weight tha I can't warm up without cramping. So the next couple weeks I am going to de-load maybe 10 or 15% and focus on form. I felt my right leg much more today than my left leg. As the weight has gone up I have noticed an asymmetry in how I am applying force. My right leg was much more sore today than my left.

Well I just have to keep working on it.

6 March 2012

BP: 3x5 @205lbs
Weighted Dips: 15 with 35lbs
MetCon: 5min AMRAP 10 Handstand push-ups, 10 pull-ups, 20 OHP (65lbs), 30 push-ups, 50 jump ropes

Felt good and heavy. Dips were easy and I could have got away with more but now I know for next time. The MetCon was good. Tammy invented it this time. I found out she loves killing shoulders. I finished 1 round and with about 30sec left I got 5reps in. Bench felt good and heavy. I am not as close to my 5RM as I am in squat but I attribute that to CF and their focus on legs. Up until last week I hadn't done bench for months. Overall it feels good.

5 March 2012

BS: 3x3 @295lbs
MetCon: Partner 15min AMRAP 50 WB, 50 Box Jumps, 50 Burpees, 50 Squat Cleans

Squat was heavy. I felt like I was pushing asymmetrically. I also didn't eat enough. The MetCon killed us both. Good times.

2 March 2012

OHP: 3x5 @ 140lbs
7min AMRAP: 20 split jumps, 10 KBS (1.5pood), 10 burpees, 40 jump ropes

I did the MetCon 4 rounds. It would have been five except I screwed up on the 30th jump rope and didn't finish the full 4th set. Bummer.

I thought I would be well rested and pumped for the workout. I felt flat though when doing OHP. It was more difficult than anticipated. I attribute a bit of my lethargy to the fact that my workout partner flaked out on me to go eat tacos and drink martinis.

Thanks...

The MetCon made me sick. I thought I was going to puke. I am really tired right now. 

Funny story: There was this dude doing P90x right next to me. I know he was doing P90x because he had his laptop out and was following along with it...no comment.

I teach the rowing class tomorrow and I need to get to bed and drink some water. Not necessarily in that order.

Cheers!

Paleo-Stir Fry

I have been working on trying to eat paleo. I mean that as in I replace 2/3 of my meals with 0-15g of carbs....also, it only applies during the week. My typical day consists of eating 4 hard boiled eggs and then either chicken, grilled different ways, or some sort of fish salmon or tuna (it all comes from a can). I have been eating the hard boiled eggs consistently for over 2years now. Everyday I get 4 hard boiled eggs. For dinner I usually cheat a bit. Chips and Sadie's salsa are my biggest challenge. I never, NEVER, drink soda or juices unless they are freshly squeezed. The juices have too much sugar and soda is just plain shit.
I am not on a diet in the sense I am watching everything I eat and counting the calories and nutrients, but I am just being more conscious of what I am putting in my body. I have been doing this paleo thing for about 6 weeks now and have already dropped 3-5lbs. I recently weighed in at 209.4lbs. This is down from my 222lbs in November. So I think it has been doing a decent job. I have read stories of people dropping significant weight on this diet but I am not being real strict about it. Also, especially if you're obese, any diet will work if you stick with it. The problem is people give up after 2 weeks and they haven't lost the 40lbs they wanted to, or were promised. Well, what are you gonna do?

Five Spice Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Recipe Credit: The Primal Blueprint Cookbook

I just bought this book from Amazon and flipped through it looking for the first meal I would try. The stir fry thing immediately stood out because I love stir fry and can cook it (because it is easy as shit to do).

The recipe calls to marinate skirt steak in a mixture of spices and herbs, the strangest one being Chinese Five Spice which I have never heard of. It also called for bean sprouts but the store didn't have them so subbed snow peas. That was a wise decision on my part. Broccoli was cut up and steamed as prescribed.

So I sliced and diced the skirt steak and dipped it and let it soak in the marinade. The thing I did switch up a bit was put more soy into the marinade mix to make it a bit more watery. The marinade as the recipe calls for was too dry and a lot of the meat wasn't getting the full soak, so I threw some more in that bitch because I do what I want.

I then warmed up the wok and threw some sesame oil into the pan to keep the meat from sticking. It is at this point I realize I am still steaming the broccoli. It has become soft and droopy. When I pick it up and pinch it it feels like cream of wheat. I did not use that broccoli. IT'S OK THOUGH! I still had some leftover and it turned out even better. I threw the rest of the raw broccoli into the wok with the cooking beef. Added a little extra water and began steaming that with the steak cooking. The broccoli turned out delicious and I will be steaming my stir fry broccoli this way forever now. After about 8 minutes stirring and cooking I threw the snow peas in. I left them in there for another 3-4 minutes which made them a bit TOO soft. The recipe called for only cooking the meat for 3-5 minutes but this steak was a bit thick and 3-5 was not enough. 

Overall the first meal from the book turned out great! I am definitely going to be making this again.

I am off to OHP and do a little MetCon. I will post the results later tonight.

Cheers!

1 March 2012

DL: 3x5 @ 295lb
OHS: 1x15 @ 95lb


Tired from too much work. OHP tomorrow.

29 February 2012

MetCon: Not with DU's 00:18:40

I still have to get better at DU's