kettlebellguy

Archive for October, 2009

Some good tips on locking out to rest and making quick transfers

CrossFit at 6AM.

Wanda
Will
Terry
Laura
Dave
Tomas
Eric
Brian coaching

We did this same workout back on 7-2-2009. Here are those results:
Stacia 26:11
Dave 27:55
Eric 28:47
Kelly 24:13
Steve 29:29
Terry 29:51

We also did it back on December 22, 2008 however I did not capture everyone’s time. That was the day that there was no heat in the gym and Ron drove his car into the ditch on the way out. Good times.

I was able to make up some time on the push press, jump ropes and KB swings. Everything else was really slow. My burpees were in actual slow motion. My hips were so tight that each one was a struggle. I did do them all without the box. I might have been able to go a bit quicker with the box.

My knees to elbows were truly pitiful.

Brian did take a little mercy on me and had me use the 14 pound med ball for the wall balls. At that point the fact that 14 lbs was for the girls did not bother me one bit.

Overall I really enjoyed the WOD. I always seem to like these chippers.

This was our last WOD in the little box. We will be moving equipment to the big box this afternoon and will have our first WOD in the big box on Monday.

Went and had blood drawn for my 6 month blood work. Go to the Doc next Friday for results. Really anxious to see if the fish oil I have been pumping through my system makes any changes to the test results. I will really be disappointed if I don’t see some improvement.

Eating—A mess. Way off track. Up another pound even though people say I am looking leaner. I have to do something that snaps me back on track.

What hurts today—I always feel better after the WOD but my hips were a mess this morning. Part of the issue was the lunges we did yesterday. I felt better after doing them yesterday but I paid for it this morning. Right elbow and heel still an issue and I had another headache this morning. I am sure the headaches are being caused by sugar.

WARNING!!!NOT WORK OR FAMILY SAFE

Why I go to the box from KettleBell Guy on Vimeo.

WARNING – Adult Language

I know all bald guys look alike but this is not me.

But it is a clear example of why I don’t work out at home.

CrossFit at 6AM.

Miranda
Will
Stacia
Steve
Terry
Tom
Joe
Brandon
Brian coaching

Really had to push myself to get up this morning and I had a headache but this turned out to be one of my better WOD’s in while.

The lunges were really bad for the first 3 rounds but by the 4th I was actually able to do them with good form. It takes that long for my hips to loosen up.

I probably should be doing a lot more lunges.

I apparently was moving a bit so slow so everyone created a passing lane to get by me.

The KB cleans and snatches were no issue. I just go on auto pilot for those. Overall a fun workout and my headache was gone by the time we were done.

This was our last Thursday workout in the little box. Moving day is tomorrow.

Here is a map for the new box location.

Have you seen this video of the 5 year old kid from Romania?

Is this good for the long term health the development of this 5 year old? What’s the Dad saying? Why can’t I do these things?

Eating—Not doing well. I think the problem is that I have a blood test scheduled for tomorrow. Although it makes no sense I often find that prior to having my blood work done I usually go off plan which is the exact opposite of what I should do. Another word for it would be self sabotage.

Will have to fast tonight for 14 hours prior to the blood test in the morning.

What hurts today—Feeling good over all. Still a big issue with the right elbow. I did have a bad headache last night and this morning. I think I can pin that on sugar, having gone off my paleo plan the last few days. No back pain from the deadlifts yesterday and my hips are feeling good after all the lunges this morning.

CrossFit at 6AM.

Eric
Ron
Tomas
Steve
Will
Dave
Miranda
Brett
Terry
Brian coaching

Bad night sleeping and I was really stiff this morning. We worked on the GHD this morning. For some reason that made me sick to my stomach. I am still having issues with the GHD.

WOD went OK but I was disappointed in my performance. The deadlifts were to be BW but I went with my desired BW of 205. I met my goal of living through the WOD, that’s all I can say. Just have not felt right the last few days so I am looking for things to get better.

Here is a picture of how the wall ball targets are coming at the new box. Our first WOD with wall balls at the new box is going to be a shock for people.

H1N1
In the Akron Beacon Journal today there is an article “Swine flu shots are a hot ticket”.

There were many interesting bits of information in the article but one that really popped out at me was the following.

Alex, a Hudson Middle School sixth-grader, has severe allergies and asthma, which puts him at t higher risk for complication from the flu.

“I’ve had a couple friends and classmates who had swine flu,” he said. “There were 200 kids out with it last week.”

That does not sound good for Hudson.

Take a minute to think about the following:
1) Who told Alex there 200 kids were out with H1N1 last week?
2) Were 200 kids actually tested to determine if they had H1N1?
Here is an excerpt from the Ohio Department of Health regarding H1N1 testing, dated August 5, 2009:
The ODH algorithm for testing clusters of influenza A H1N1 will not likely identify the initial case; however, it will enable local health jurisdictions to institute effective disease containment strategies for quickly evolving outbreaks in schools and other institutions. Once ODH identifies three to five confirmed cases of influenza A H1N1 as part of a cluster, no further testing will be performed – epidemiological links will be sufficient to establish a diagnosis for providers and responding health districts. If providers have a suspected case of influenza A H1N1 that meets the ODH algorithm, the case should be reported to their local health district.

Perception is reality. This article could make you believe that there are actually 200 kids with H1N1 in Hudson, according to a 12 year old. I believe there are kids with the flu in Hudson but since it appears that individual testing of each kid is not done to determine the type of flu we can’t really say they all have H1N1.

The good news would be that Hudson now needs 200 less vaccines since these kids have already had H1N1. But if they have not really been tested how can parents be sure? Should they get the vaccine since Alex said they already had the Swine flu? What if they really did not have the Swine flu but might get it later?

Another interesting bit of information in the article was the following.

As a result, the line was swarming with restless youngsters and weary pregnant women. At least two of the women went into labor during the clinic, according to health department officials.

Have these women been driven to stand in line and go into labor to get a vaccine? Is getting your flu shot important enough to stand there and go into labor waiting for it?

Finally this comment that sums up the attitude of some people.

“I think it’s important,” Schuellerman said. “There’s a reason why they’re recommending it. God forbid I didn’t get it and something happened.”
Link to entire article

In Ohio, testing for the swine flu virus will only be done on patients who are being admitted or are currently hospitalized with influenza-like symptoms and patients with influenza-like symptoms who are part of a cluster or outbreak being investigated by a local health district and the Ohio Department of Health.

Bottom line, if someone tells you they have the Swine Flu ask them how they know.

Brian caught this shot of me the other day. I really don’t feel like I am an obese guy but according to my BMI I am.

I just liked this t-shirt

CrossFit at 6AM.

Eric
Will
Miranda
Stacia
Tomas
Brett
Steve
Brandon
Joe
Terry
Brian coaching

I was really moving slow this morning. Everyone was done with the warm up and I had only finished one round.

I laid back on the front squats this morning. I know you are never suppose to do less that 110% but I was afraid of what my right elbow was going to do. I decided to go with functional competency rather than functional dominance this morning.

It was really fun being partnered with Joe this morning because this was his breakout WOD. Tomas and Brett were doing a great job and racking up the numbers. Because I was not pushing it this morning I was not paying much attention to any of the numbers. Once we got to the last round Joe decided to go from 205 to 240. I glanced over at Tomas and Brett and saw they had committed to 235. Joe played the game well this morning and became a force that Tomas and Brett will need to deal with in the future. I am sure that Joe could have even gone higher.

I could have gone higher myself but I am glad I kept it under control. Rather than being disappointed that I held back I am just glad I decided to play it smart this morning. Looking back my last FS Max was 185 on 6-23-2009.

Steve also did FS on 6-23-2009 and got (FS) Steve 65-75-95-105-115. Today he got 165. He is turning into a machine.

Excitement continues to mount as we get ready for the move to the big box.

Eating—Back on track after my “lost weekend”.

What hurts today—I was really tight and bound up this morning so it was well into the WOD before I started to loosen up. I got good depth on my front squat but I really need a hundred pounds or more to get myself down. I can be pushed down into a squat but I have a real issue with pulling myself down into a squat. Still waiting out the right elbow.

CrossFit Walnut Creek Sweat Shop Masters Competition

Some of us here in Ohio really like this idea of a Masters Competition

http://www.CrossfitSweatShop.com

Competitors came from:
CrossFit East Bay
Diablo CrossFit
CrossFit Oakland
CrossFit Solano
Catalyst Athletics
TJ’s Gym
CrossFit Excel
CrossFit Redding

CrossFit at 6AM.

Terry
Stacia
Tomas
Miranda
Dave
Kelly
Steve
Will
Brett
Eric
Brian coaching

Last Monday WOD in the little box.

I passed on the double under work, just doing extra singles. My heel is still screwed up and working on the double unders would have made that worse.

Beats the crap out of me how I came in with the best time for the WOD. I am sure I counted right. Some things just cannot be explained. Although my knees to elbows suck I was thinking to myself that they have improved about 1000%. I have much more control (limiting that “beef carcass in the wind” look I am famous for) and I was able to do more reps without a break.

The wall balls were a challenge because each throw of the ball aggravated my right elbow.

Work continues at the new box. The PVC pipe on the ground is a layout of where the pull ups bar rig will most likely go. Also, notice the rope on the right hand side of the picture. Still needs to be moved away from the wall and fastened permanently. Some people are actually looking forward to climbing on that rope. I am looking forward to watching them.

At this point moving day has been moved up to Friday rather than Saturday.

On Sunday Debbie and I attended the Harvest Ball at the Kent State Student Center Ballroom. We started attending these dances back in 1989 and through the 90′s we usually went to the three dances each year held in the Ballroom. We got away from going in early part of this decade and finally make it back. Our friends Ben and Mary Anne also attended with us.

There were many new faces but enough of the “old gang” around for us to feel comfortable. The set up was the same. Dancing from 3 to 4:30, amateur show till 5 followed by dinner and professional show. The evening ended with another period of dancing from 7 to 9.

Just like bowlers have their bowling shoes, dancers have their dancing shoes. It was kind of sad when my shoes split open during the dance. I have worn these shoes for 20 years and they have been on a lot of dance floors. I still have my “practice” shoes I can wear but maybe it it time for another pair of dress dance shoes.

During the dance it struck me that this would be the perfect breeding ground for a H1N1 outbreak until I remembered what I read about people over 50.

The majority of H1N1 flu cases are in people under 50 years old and the average age of hospitalization for H1N1 flu is 37 years of age. Scientists believe that people over 50 may have some immunity to H1N1 influenza.

Once I realized that the average age in the room was probably around 55-60 I felt a bit better. Once in a while there is a benefit to be older.

The oldest person that I knew at the dance was May who is 92 and could easily pass for late 60′s or early 70′s. It’s hard to know just how old some of the other people at the dance might have been.

They say that one of the things that makes you appear old is your inability to move. If you are out on the dance floor people will just assume you to be younger than you might be just because you are moving.

I realized that the people I know and interact with have a lot to do with how I feel about age. In the mornings I get to spend time with 20 and 30 year olds that challenge me in CrossFit. At other times I spend time with people in their 70′s and 80′s that impress me with how they are untouched by age.

Although I know I complain a lot about aches and pains I feel good about getting older because of the examples I have of what aging can be. I think some of us grow up with examples of people that are old at 50 or 60 who cannot move and have given up and we get scared of getting older. Because of those examples we think that is the way getting older has to be.

If you spend time around people who are 70, 80 or 90 that still have full and energetic lives that really reduces the fear of aging. But you have to understand that it is not just luck. These are people that work hard to be strong and independent. They did not give up just because someone told them they had reach the age that they should give up.

Dancing is like riding a bike. Once you learn how you never forget.

Eating—This weekend I was like an alcoholic on a “lost weekend”. I was really off track and the desert at the dinner Sunday evening did me in. In the past they had always had pieces of pie but that has changed to plates of individual deserts. Cookies, pastries and other assorted goodies. Eating these delights in one bite eliminates any fear of crumbs. I really over did it and felt it all the way home.

Back on track this morning. Hopefully this will be the start of another good run with Paleo.

What hurts today—Right elbow is a real issue. Really felt it during the wall balls. The 100 days of pull ups is over. Even Will is taking a 1 week break before starting up a new challenge. He is still trying to get people interested in handstand push ups but not having much luck.

All photos from CrossFitLegacy, the last Saturday WOD in the little gym taken by Brian Yoak, 10-24-2009

CrossFit at 9AM.

Will
Joe
Terry
Tomas
Brett
Logan
Miranda
Tom
Ron
Ralph
Dave
Eric
Tricia
Brandon
Aaron
Brian coaching
Charlie coaching

We had a full house with 15 for the last Saturday WOD in the little box.

This was Logan’s very first CrossFit WOD and he did not even puke.

I did not feel good yesterday afternoon and evening. I even thought I might be coming down with something. I really wondered if I would be able to come to class this morning.

Once I got up this morning I felt better and I am glad I made it to class.

I did jumping pull ups and about half of the push ups on my knees. My sit ups and squats were good.

Eating—When I started feeling bad yesterday I completely went off my paleo and went on a sugar binge. My hope is that having a bit of a binge will get me back on track.

What hurts today—Feeling good. Lot of pain in my right elbow if I try something like regular pull ups. Other than that I am OK.

This week we worked on Kettlebell Snatches. Here is an example of the RKC Snatch test. This is something I would like to start working on.

For reference 24 KG – 52.8 pounds