December 2010
32 posts
1 tag
Goals for the first two months of 2011
I’ve been operating without well defined goals since I started training at Crossfit South Brooklyn in mid-November. This was intentional since I felt like I needed some time to reassess and recalibrate. It was also nice to turn my brain off and throw myself at the mercy of their programming for a while, but now it’s time to get serious. Here are my goals for the first two months of...
I’ve Got To Hand It To You (Part 2) | CrossFit... →
Caring for torn calluses. Thanks Keith!
2 tags
CFSB Day 25
Today’s warmup was skin the cat on the rings followed by a 30 sec bridge hold repeated 5x. Then we did some snatch balance prep and worked up to a decent weight. I got up to 165lb again before time ran out. I can certainly do more weight, but I’d like to do it the right way and not press the damn bar up. I think I was doing a better job of dropping under the bar this time around.
...
3 tags
CFSB Day 24
Light warmup on the rower and then some good old foam rolling on the legs and back. Spent about 20 minutes on handstand practice and made some really good progress there. I was the only guy in the 6am class again today, so I got lots of individual attention. After that we went onto the short WOD:
7 Thrusters (115lb)
7 Knees-to-elbows
AMRAP 7 min
I finished 5 full rounds + 5 thrusters. The...
2 tags
Snowpocolypse Dig Out
Apparently I live on the windiest street in NYC. That means when we get hit with 20 inches of snow, the buildings across the street get a light dusting and I get 10 foot drifts blocking in my front door. After digging it all out, I felt like I didn’t really need to get to crossfit today.
4 tags
Interval Challenge
Snuck in a quick outdoor workout at Washington Park before the snowpocolypse. Modified the Interval Challenge to work with the space I had:
6 Burpees
12 Pushups
18 Bodyweight Squats
100m Run
Repeat 8x
Total time: 16:03. Quite slow. Not sure if it was the freezing cold or all the xmas cookies, but this wasn’t pretty.
2 tags
CFSB Day 23
Alternate title: all I want for xmas is a muscle-up.
Oddly enough, I was the only person in class at 6am on xmas eve so I got to do whatever I wanted. After a quick 500m row (23 s/m) in 1:45, we got right to work on muscle-up stuff. We tried a few of the standard partner-assisted drills and a few solo attempts but nothing was working for me until Dave had me kip into it. Once I figured that...
The Value of Ritual in Your Workday →
“His power as a warrior came from his patience, precision, attention to subtlety, concentration, and his reverence for the moment.” (via)
3 tags
CFSB Day 22
Today’s warmup really helped get the old bones moving after yesterday’s pullup, pushup, and squat overload. 10 KB swings (28kg), 10 OHS (45lb), 15 sec Samson stretch x 3. Then we did a little prep work for the barbell snatch and set up today’s WOD:
90 sec x KB Swings (24kg) (40, 40, 35, 30, 33)
30 sec to get a barbell snatch double (105lb, 125, 125, 125, 125)
Repeat 5x,...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
I dropped in for a rare Monday appearance at the school tonight. A bunch of basic stance drills and stuff then we got right into forms. I helped the guys out and gave out moves; didn’t get too much work for myself.
3 tags
CFSB Day 21
Nice little warmup of 250m row (20 s/m), 15 situps, 16 overhead plate lunge x 3, then some hip/hamstring stretching and movement prep for Partner Cindy.
As many collective rounds as possible in 24 minutes of:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats
Partners will alternate 2 minute intervals of one partner working while the other rests. The rep count will pick up where your partner leaves off.
...
3 tags
CFSB Day 20
Man, I’m pretty pissed that I got snatch balances on Friday and the Saturday workout was weighted chinups (my favorite thing). Oh well. Today was a fun customizable WOD where you had to hit the prescribed volume but could set up the load/reps/sets any way you like. The end goal was:
200 Double Unders
9,000lbs Deadlifts
75 Thrusters (45lb)
I mimicked some dude from the Again Faster...
3 tags
CFSB Day 19
I was feeling a little rundown today so I was glad to see something not too intense on the board. Brief jump rope warmup followed by some hip and quad DROMS and then right into a new movement - the snatch balance. Shane set me up in a high bar back squat position, had me move my hands out to snatch width, then drive the bar up with my hips and jump under the bar. I started with an empty 45lb bar...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
I had free reign tonight, so I made things interesting. Partnered up into teams of 2 for a little static/dynamic workout. First drill was partner A slug crawling to one end of the school and back while partner B held a plank, then switch and repeat 3x. The second drill had partner A throwing 20 roundhouse kicks to the heavy bag while partner B sat in a deep horse stance. Switch and repeat x 3....
4 tags
CFSB Day 18
3 min warmup row of 2:00/500m pace, 20 s/m. Still looking for an efficient long pull. We also did some hamstring stretching and some drills to warmup up for the jerk. We worked on the split jerk, which was pretty new to me. The goal was to work up to a heavy single, but after hitting some form issues at 176lb (I used the kg plates by the platforms), I dropped back down to 132lb and worked on...
President Obama Signs Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids... →
Well, there are certainly some improvements reflected in the before and after menu, but our kids are now being pushed low-fat everything and whole wheat junk. Misinformation cascade in action!
4 tags
CFSB Day 17
Warmed up with 4 min on the rower, sticking to a 2:05/500m pace and ~20 s/m. I was focusing on long, slow, efficient strokes but I still have a long way to go there. Next warmed up with some front lever practice (knees tucked) and a few light cleans and stuff to prepare for today’s WOD.
(Power) Elizabeth:
21, 15, 9 Power cleans (135lb)
15, 9, 6 Ring dips
Time: 6:59. I scaled down...
Dr. Mellanby's Tooth Decay Reversal Diet →
“This was a grain-free diet plus supplemental vitamin D. Over 26 weeks, children in this group saw an average of only 0.4 cavities form or worsen, while 4.7 healed. The Mellanbys considered that they had essentially found a cure for this disorder in its early stages.” Is there anything the paleo diet CAN’T do?
4 tags
CFSB Day 16
Started things off with a quick NFT circuit with KB swings and situps, then moved into some much-needed hip, quad, hamstring, calf stretching. Since today’s WOD was Fran, we also spent some time preparing the wrists and getting ready for thrusters.
Fran - 21, 15, 9:
Thrusters (95lb)
Pullups
Time: 5:03. Sucked. Really unhappy with my intensity and effort. I was working alongside a savage...
2 tags
Christopher Martins 5k Run 2010
Dave and I headed up to New Haven to run for the kids with Zachy. It was raining like a child when we woke up to get ready but I reminded the fellas that we were running for the kiiiiids and we can’t let a little rain stop us. So we ran. For the kids. In the rain. Dave and I stayed together for most of the way, but I out-hoofed him in the home stretch. Finished in 22:58, which is OK for a...
6 tags
CFSB Day 15
Kicked things off with some light stretching and a broad jump/situp warmup. I opted to make up the heavy squat day that I missed earlier in the week. A few hip opening drills, some warmup sets, then heavy squats:
Back Squats
1 x 295lb
1 x 315lb *FAIL*
1 x 315lb *FAIL*
1 x 305lb *FAIL*
3 x 5 x 225lb
Total shitshow. My rhythm, timing, and positioning were all off today. I did some back-off...
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Tonight we focused on some really basic stuff, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Got a good, honest sweat just drilling the basic moves and doing some stance training. Stuck around and ran through Yu Ga Dai Pa to make sure I don’t get too rusty. I am feeling a little rusty overall though - I’m used to much more kung fu volume.
Weight Watchers Upends Its Points System →
Welcome to the real world, Weight Watchers
1 tag
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. To turn your good into better, and your...”
– Unknown (via)
3 tags
CFSB Day 14
Another rowing-based warmup this morning - an easy tabata cycle. Then we did some PNF hamstring stretching, which is always a joy. Since I’ve been MIA for the past two days I opted to make-up yesterday’s power clean work. The goal was to find your 1RM. After about 4 light warmup sets, I got to work:
Power Clean
1 x 185lb
1 x 205lb
1 x 215lb *FAIL*
1 x 215lb
1 x 225lb *FAIL*
1 x...
5 tags
CFSB Day 13
I was the only one in the class today doing tomorrow’s squat exposure so I did some hip and shoulder warmups on my own. The programmed load was 3 x 3 of 70% of the 1RM from the start of the cycle. Warmed up with a few lighter sets, as usual.
Squats
3 x 3 x 240lb
Didn’t really hit my stride until the last set, but that one felt solid as a rock. Maybe I didn’t warm up enough....
2 tags
Kung Fu class
I got to class a little late tonight, so I warmed myself up and then jumped into the workout with the fellas. We focused on a dead simple but effective block/strike/strike combo today. After everyone had a handle on it we partnered up and let the guys uncork it a bit. I stuck around to work on Ng Lung Ba Gwa Cheung for a bit, but not as long as I would’ve liked.
4 tags
CFSB Day 12
Pretty standard mobility-based warmup and then some light rowing, push jerk practice before today’s WOD:
Row 250m
9 Muscle Ups*
9 Push Jerks (135lb)
Row 500m
6 Muscle Ups*
6 Push Jerks (135lb)
Row 750m
3 Muscle Ups*
3 Push Jerks (135lb)
Total time: 12:47. Spent around 6 min total on the rowing, so almost 7 min on the other stuff. All muscle ups were partner-assisted (maybe a little...
1 tag
“The greatest battle is not physical but psychological. The demons telling us to...”
– Graeme Fife (via)