Becoming an Athlete

I have to admit, this was a jog, not a run. I just didn't have it in me today, but I got out there and moved for 3.2 miles (5K). I worked up a good sweat and made my shins good and sore. My heart rate was definitely sub-aerobic zone, just based on feel. But this is 2 workouts today, and I've been up since 5:00 AM.

Coach Dan John calls this method " The Big 55 ", and his article does a much better job of explaining it that I am going to. Pick 2 exercises and perform them non-stop, alternating from one to the other. You'll start with 10 of each, then 9 of each, all the way down to 1 rep each. I did this but focused on upper body. Since I was changing weights, there was an unavoidable 20-30 second rest. A. Barbell curls: 55x10; 65x9; 75x8; 80x7; 85x6; 90x5; 95x4; 100x3; 105x2; 110x2* B. Dips: body weight x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 13* *Last Set: I went for broke on the last set. I thought I might hit 110x3 or 4 on curls but was mistaken.

I can tell that this will take some getting used to. I really appreciate the length of the warm-up Heather (Definant CF coach) has us do before each workout. First, we ran 400 meters. Then we did a series of about 7 stretches. After that was a series of body weight exercises, each done for one 1 set of 10. This included squats, pushups, situps, pullups, ring dips, handstand pushups, box jumps and others I may be forgetting. By the time we started the workout, I had a good sweat going. Then we did our strength move: Deadlift: 275 x 3, 3, 3, 3 Then the full blown CF-style WOD: As many rounds in 10 minutes of: 1. Thruster: 135 x 5 2. Burpee: x 10 3. Jump rope: double-unders x 20 or singles x 40 I started with double-unders but couldn't manage because my legs were so tired, so I moved to singles x 40. All told, I completed 3 rounds + 2 thrusters.

What a great time. 14 people showed up and everyone pushed HARD! We had two guys puke right at the end. It was beautiful! 5 minute warm-up Just some bodyweight work and dynamic yoga stuff Sprint Build-ups 1. 20yd plyo -skipping + 20yd sprint x 2 2. 20yd high- knee + 20yd sprint x 2 3. 20yd scissors + 20yd sprint x 2 4. 20yd acceleration + 20yd sprint x 2 Massive sandbag workout!!!! This is what got everyone. We did a variety of bag throws that involved twisting, underhanding , and shot putting the bag almost the full width of the footbal field. After completing each throw, we sprinted 440 yards. We did this throw+sprint six (6) times. I spoke to a few friends today and they each to take some sort of nap today (Sunday) and were feeling massive amounts of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Hill sprints with sandbag This is where the puking happened. The hill at Murchison Middle School is intense. I can't even wager a guess at incline or distance. We did that 3 times carrying ...

Its Friday, August 27th, 2010. After about 2 years of 'playing' with CrossFit concepts on my own, and watching my buddy Plieb make startling progress at CrossFit Central (and SicFit Gym?) I've finally decided to take the plunge. My wife and I joined Defiant CrossFit, which is just 2 miles down the road from my house. I'm excited, open minded, and a bit nervous to see when my conditioning REALLY stands. I'll get my body measures done on Monday, along with pictures. Nothing like objective data to get me in high gear. I am most looking forward to hands-on coaching, and the group atmosphere. I've been training in my garage, with and without training partners for a few years, so it'll be great to have someone point out flaws in my technique and even effort. The only real concern I have is the random nature of the program. I'm only going Monday and Wednesday mornings, so it may prove to undermine my tuesday and thursday efforts if i don't know what i...

This was a great workout!!!!!! I could hardly breathe or stand by the end of it. The basic construct is very similar to Charles Staley's "Density Training" ideas. Pick a time limit and grind out as many reps as possible in that time. I'll come back to this workout in 3 weeks and see if i've improved. Max reps in 10 minutes of alternating dumbbell rows: 30lb dumbbells x 268 = 8040lbs total tonnage Max reps in 10 minutes of t-bell swing: 63lb t-bell x 114 = 7182lbs total tonnage That's it. 30 minutes including 10 min rest between stations. GASSED!!!!!

Just a simple hard run of 450 yards 6 x 450 yards (i.e. around the block)

Good grief, it is HOT!!!! My garage was a mess, so my buddy and I setup the weights in the driveway. This was in direct sunlight, in the middle of the day. It was at least 103, possibly hotter. All things considered, this wasn't too shabby. Overhead press: 135 x 5; 155 x 5 Dips: 11 + negative Chin ups: BW x 3, 5, 7 Bent row (high wide grip): 95 x 18, 16 Deadlift: 275 x 5, 5; 315 x 4

We took the whole family to Defiant Crossfit in Pflugerville, TX. Heather and her crew are great people. The workout was a CF classic: Fran. This workout is a couplet (exercise pair) of barbell thruster and kipping pullups, done for 21-15-9 reps in as short a time as possible. I went for the workout as prescribed, whereas most did jumping pullups and 65lbs on thrusters (instead of 95). I was shocked that after 2 weeks off I was able to get 21 reps of pullups. I completed the last 9 thrusters just as time ran out, which meant I didn't finish the last 9 pullups. My wife finished the full workout in 7+ minutes using jumping pullups. I'm not sure if her thruster weight was 65 or 45. Either way; Great job, Jaime!!!!!

Man, what a great time! My wife and I went to Washington state and hiked till our legs fell off. Then we stapled them back on and did some dragon boat racing (practice) and lots of salmon fishing. Sadly, no salmon were harmed in the making of this honeymoon. Highlights: Moran State Park on Orcas Island Orcas Island as a whole Snoqualamie recreation area Rattlesnake Ledge near Snoqualamie Chateau St. Michelle winery

I took Wednesday and Thursday off, so I really punished myself over the weekend. Friday, 6 AUG: 6 rounds of: 1. 400 meters 2. Leg-under bridge x 10 3. Overhead press 135 x 5 Saturday, 7 AUG: 2 mile run at 6:30 AM Sunday, 8 AUG: Deadlift / Bridge supersets Deadlift: 225x5 + 1min bridge; 225x5+ 1min; 245x5 + 1min; 255x5 + 1min; 275x5 + 1min; 295x5 + 1min; 295x5 + 1min; 315x2 + 1min

My wife and I will be doing some biking and sprints later this evening, so today's mid day workout was short, but intense. It was the weirdest thing. There are plenty of times that i've pushed hard enough to vomit, but today was different. the pain was so intense and so engrossing, that I was making involuntary shouts. Focing rep after rep with little to no break or rest was beyond fatigue, beyond pain. It hurt so bad it was almost emotional. I have no idea what that was, but it was a new experience for me. Here is the workout: With a 10 minute time limit, perform as many rounds as possible of: Pullup x 10 Dip x 10 Pistol squats x 10 I finished 3 rounds and got another 10 pullups and 6 dips before time ran out. Next time I do this, I'll shoot for 4 full rounds!

This was a brutal workout. Five of us met up at Murchison Middle School at 10:00, and the heat was already intense. The setup took a bit of time, but the actual workout was brisk, and intense from start to finish. 1. Warm-up: 1 lap on the track 2. Stretching for ahout 10 minutes 3. Build-ups: Build-ups are a way to get your body ready for sprinting. You slowly "build up" to a full sprint. The setup is essentially a 40 yard line cut in the middle. For the 1st 20 yards you do something that specifically targets the muscle most likely to pull during sprints (hams, hips etc.) and gets them progressively looser and warmer. Here was our setup: Plyometric skipping: 2 x 20+20yard sprint High knee: 2 x 20+20yard sprint Karioke run: 2 x 20+20yard sprint 4. The workout! This was the hardest part. We setup 4 cones at 50 yards apart. Each station emphasized a different muscle group or movement pattern. Rather than get into great detail about the setup, I'll just spe...