March 2009
53 posts
4 tags
Shoulder Scorcher
50 Double Unders
25 Pushups
Repeat 4x
Total time: 7:45. I was short on time and I seem to have lost my gymboss in Hawaii, so I gave this one another crack. My double unders felt better than last time, but the pushups were awful. Sets of 10 and 5 after the second set, just like last time.
Previously: 9:30 on 8/23/08.
1 tag
Hawaii Catch Up
Just got back from 10 days in gawjess Hawaii with the wife. Had lots of fun, caught a little sunburn, and even improvised some workouts between travelling and activities on our full itinerary. Some random workout-related notes from my trip:
The beaches in Hawaii do not lend themselves to workouts like the beaches I’m used to. There is really no place to run beach sprints without kicking...
February 2009
41 posts
3 tags
Swim Intervals
The adult pool at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui is actually pretty good for lap swimming. Since I had a sunburnt back, I headed out in the morning to do some swim intervals before the midday sun came out.
1000ft warm up
Intervals - repeat 10x 100ft freestyle
100ft breaststroke
600ft cool down
Total time: who knows. Total distance: 3600ft (about 1100m).
Odd that this pool is measured in...
3 tags
Explosive Strength Training
I was sick and tired of not pushing any weight and gym in the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui has dumbbells going up to 50lbs and lots of space, so I opted for an explosive strength workout.
1 Arm DB Snatch
5 x 3/side x 50lb
Double DB Push Press
5 x 3 x 50lb
Complex Pair - repeat 4x (Rest 60 sec between B & C and D & A) Pushup bottom position static hold x 60 sec
Plyometric...
5 tags
100 Burpee Challenge + Tabata Burnout
After walking all over Maui looking for a nice quiet stretch of beach to do some sprints, bear crawls, and crab walks, I gave up and settled for one of my least favorite workouts.
100 Burpees (rest 2 min)
Tabata Squats (16)
Tabata Pushups (8)
Total time for the 100 burpees: 6:14. The sun and sand slowed me down a little, but I’m not sure my partitioning strategy was so solid. I broke...
3 tags
Wailua River Kayak & Hike to Secret Falls - Kauai,...
Tracy and I had our own private little tour through Kayak Kauai. In total, we did about 4 miles of kayaking and about 2 miles of hiking with our guide Josh and his dog, Sugar. The Secret Falls at the end of the hike was amazing. We did a little swimming, took a lunch break, and headed back. The hardest part of the whole trip was coaxing Sugar to cross the river. She was being a big baby.
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Upper Waipoo Falls Hike in Waimea Canyon - Kauai,...
Hiked the Canyon trail to the Upper Waipoo Falls in Waimea Canyon today. The whole thing was about 3.5 miles, not too strenuous, and included some amazing views. Wild chickens the whole way through.
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Kung Fu practice
Found a nice, secluded spot to practice Tiet Sien Kuen behind the gym at Turtle Bay. It was a cool, rainy evening, so there was no one outside to bug me. I felt pretty good connection throughout but was mainly concentrating on using light power.
3 tags
GPP Circuit
Burpees x 30 sec (12)
Burps x 30 sec
Split Jumps x 30 sec
Grasshoppers x 30 sec
Chinnies x 30 sec
Repeat 5x, resting 30 sec between rounds.
3 tags
Magic 50
What better way to start off a vacation with the Magic 50? The heaviest dumbbell in the Turtle Bay Resort gym was 50lb, so that’s what I used.
5 DB Snatches/ Arm
5 DB Swings/ Arm
10 Burpees
Repeat 5x
Total time: 8:10. This one always sucks, but I would have liked to move a little faster considering the weight was so light.
Previously: 11:20 on 7/22/08 (65lb)
Vacation WODs →
Helpful list of no equipment, do-anywhere workouts from Crossfit. I’ll also be bringing Never Gymless to Hawaii with me. I forsee a lot of beach sprints in my near future.
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Ran the foundations and level I classes tonight. I was pretty well warmed up from the tabata workout before class, but I still did just about everything with them to make sure all my basics stay sharp. Ran through Tiet Sien Kuen with Ali a couple of times after class. I want to try to work that every day when I’m in Hawaii starting on Wednesday.
5 tags
Salty 16
I’m running out of taste-based name variations for the Sweet 16 workouts.
Tabata Jump Rope (high-knee sprint-in-place)
Tabata Medicine Ball Slams (18, 19, 18, 18, 18, 17, 18 18)
Tabata Jump Rope (high-knee sprint-in-place)
Tabata Burpees (9, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6)
Tabata intervals of each exercise, max intensity for the 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Each exercise...
1 tag
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
– Aristotle
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Day 10, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Volume day today:
Squat
5 x 5 x 265lb
Push Press 6 x 3 x 150lb
Power Clean
6 x 3 x 150lb
Weighted Dips
3 x 5 x 90lb
Weighted Chinups
3 x 5 x 90lb
Squats are still feeling solid and didn’t feel any soreness or fatigue from my day on the mountain yesterday. Push presses still need work but I’m feeling like a beast on the power cleans. I know 150lbs is very...
1 tag
Boardin' At Mount Snow
Spent the day boarding at Mount Snow with Tracy, Zach, and some friends. It wasn’t terribly strenuous and I didn’t even try anything tricksy because I’m too old for that shit now. This was my first trip of the season and looks like it’ll be my last as well.
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Another good foundations class followed by a well-attended level I class. After a heavy forearm-focused warmup, we worked on some butterfly palm techniques for the remainder of the night.
4 tags
Double Under Intervals
Grabbed the rope and got to work before kung fu class:
5 x 2 min Double Unders (111, 92*, 105, 95, 82)
Total work time: 10 minutes. Resting 2 minutes between sets, though I was forced to take a 6 minute break between rounds 2 and 3 because someone came into the school to inquire about kids classes.
Not too pleased with my numbers. I was shooting for at least one DU a second, so 120 for each...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Good class tonight. There was three of us so instead of doing the traditional sparring, we did two-on-one fighting. The goal was for the guy under attack to initiate contact and try to take out the first opponent quickly so he can move onto the second opponent. We also worked on how to move and position yourself so you’re not surrounded, but can keep one opponent between you and the other....
4 tags
Crossfit WOD: Fran
Well, sort of Fran. No barbells at the kung fu school and no heavy dumbbells, so I used two 30lbers (estimated). 21-15-9 of the following:
DB Thrusters (30lb)
Pullups
Total time: 3:38. Those thrusters were easy, but I had a hard time with the pullups. Couldn’t kip on the power tower we used for pullups so it was tough to get any momentum.
3 tags
Day 9, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Intensity day today:
Squat
1 x 5 x 300lb
Push Press 1 x 3 x 160lb
Deadlift
1 x 3 x 365lb
Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 90lb
Squat and push presses felt just fine and dandy thank you very much. The deads didn’t feel great but I didn’t have any trouble with the weight - I was just rushing a bit because I had to get out to kung fu class. The TGUs were ok, but I didn’t...
2 tags
Lion Dance Performance
Another corporate event, another cramped space. We really had to modify the routine once we saw the space but we made it work. Not our finest performance, but at least we’re done for the season. Time to start working out again in earnest. For chrissake.
This Is Why You're Fat →
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Ran the foundations class and helped out with the Level I. We did a partner warmup and then went right into forms. After they took off I worked myself on Yu Ga Dai Pa for a while.
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Lion Dance Performance
Chinatown. The big day. About 8 uninterrupted hours of parading and going into every store in Chinatown. We had lots of people today so there was lots of relief and it went smoothly compared to previous years. It was also a lovely, warm 53 degrees, which makes the whole day more enjoyable.
3 tags
Day 8, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Recovery day today:
Front Squat
3 x 3 x 200lb
Press
2 x 5 x 110lb
Hang Power Clean
3 x 3 x 110lb
Overhead Squats
2 x 5 x 85lb *FAIL* (5, 3)
Turkish Get Ups
3 x 3 x 55lb
Felt crumby today, let’s see if today’s light work helps. I’m pissed about the OHS, but my wrists failed on the second work set. I’ll keep the weight the same for the next recovery...
2 tags
Review: Netrition.com
Hideous, hard to use, poorly organized site with great prices for all sorts of supplements and nutritional products. So why do I keep ordering from them when interface is such an affront to taste and decency? Aside from the unbeatable prices, shipping is reliable, fast, and well packaged and I haven’t had a single problem with an order over the four years that I’ve been a customer. Of...
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Review: MartialArtsMart.com
Martial Arts Mart is one of the biggest online martial arts suppliers. Their weapons are shite and their return policies are even worse. I ordered a bunch of poles for the school once and they were terrible quality - one was already broken in transit and the others wouldn’t have lasted one training session with Hung Ga men. I returned them all and had to pay for shipping both ways.
They...
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Review: Feiyue Kung Fu Shoes by Tiger Claw
These shoes are everything you could want in a kung fu shoe - lightweight, flat-soled, grippy, cheap, and pretty durable. I’ve owned several pairs of these over the course of my Hung Ga training, in both white and black. I’ve had my current pair for about 2 years and they’re just starting to wear out. I always resist getting a new pair as long as possible because breaking in a...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Great foundation class today - lots of sweat and lots of improvement from the first class. Lots of people showed up for the 8pm class and they were all looking solid. We worked on some basic butterfly palm/tiger claw techniques and did some partner work. After everyone left I worked on Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen and Ng Lung Ba Gwa Cheung.
I tried to string together some double unders before class to...
3 tags
Lion Dance / Kung Fu Performance
We did a quick lion dance routine and kung fu show for a corporate event in Midtown today. The space had really low ceilings and was pretty small, so we had to abbreviate the routine and cut out all the fun stuff. Afterwards I got my ass kicked in a choreographed fight set. I’m taking today as an active rest day.
Drop Sugar, Get Smarter (And Better Behaved) →
“According to Butler, standardized test scores increased 15 percent at the school within the first year of the program. She said discipline problems decreased by 23 percent. Student health has improved and obesity at the school has been virtually eliminated.”
3 tags
Day 7, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Volume day today:
Squat
5 x 5 x 260lb
Push Press 6 x 3 x 145lb
Power Clean
6 x 3 x 145lb
Weighted Pullups
3 x 5 x 85lb
Weighted Dips
3 x 5 x 85lb
There’s not much to say when everything feels good and everything felt good today. Power cleans are feeling really good. Total gym time: 60 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program ยป
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Kicked off the February foundations class today and it went well - I got them sweating a lot anyway. I worked out with the level 1 class afterwards and got a decent workout. Afterwards worked on the kung fu fighting demo for Wednesday’s upcoming performance.
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“Everybody wants to know what I am on. What am I on? I’m on my bike,...”
– Lance Armstrong
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Day 6, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Intensity day today:
Squat
1 x 5 x 295lb
Push Press 1 x 2 x 155lb
Deadlift
1 x 2 x 355lb
Turkish Get Ups 1 x 2 x 85lb
Another solid heavy day today. Used the smooth bar for deadlifts sos I don’t tear up my shins. Grip wasn’t a problem thanks to my trusty chalk. Total gym time: 40 mins.
Disregard all previous weights I posted here. The wife brought home a scale the...