I have been updating this blog almost everyday for 4 years and I am taking a break. Don’t know for how long but my need to record my activities is no longer driving me to keep this up. Taking a break. Maybe a week, maybe a year, maybe forever.

Yesterday (Saturday) I was at SPC at 7:15 AM. Crawled out of there at 10:45 AM.

Worked on stretching and on Snatches (which did not work) and then Over Head Squats for what seemed to be hours. I am still only able to get 45-55 or maybe 65 pounds up over my head so I just do low weights over and over and over. Shifted to front squats.

After that lifting Will and I did a WOD that consisted of the following:

Dead Lifts at 225 lbs
Pull Ups
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps

This took me almost 30 minutes and worked me hard.

That was it for working out on Saturday.

The long run was this morning. It was only Will and I and we were at the Cascade Valley North parking lot at about 7:15 AM. When we got there the parking lot had several vehicles and about 10 people in a group.

They fired up the flashlights on their heads and started out on the trail. Will and I did not have any flashlights, not that we would have used them. We waited until just 7:30 AM when it became light enough to see….a little bit.

Apparently there was some concern about me starting too soon since I have proven that I can have a pocket full of maps and a bright sun overhead and still get lost. How far would I get in the dark?

I was familiar with the route we were taking so we were off. I was feeling pretty good starting off and did well for about the first 3 miles and then things started to go down hill. Not the trail, it was straight up hill it seemed.

I did do a cheat and went up Sand Run Parkway to Meriman Roda on the way back, avoiding running the Parcor trail again. Even with that I came in at around 8.50 miles.

On the way back, near the end, I realized why I did so well starting off. The start of this run is downhill for a long way. Since life sucks that means it was strait up hill to finish. I was about ready to just start crawling a couple of times.

I survived and had a nice breakfast at Valley Cafe.

Connor had his final Cross Country Meet at 1 PM in a park within walking distance from home so I walked over to watch that. My legs were about to fall off but I made it, watched him do a great job coming in second and hobbled back home. It was a long walk.

In honor of Connor’s birthday JP at SPC did some magic with photoshop:

Ready for SPC in the morning. Not sure if I will do the scheduled WOD or do a rest day routine that Will and I discussed. Either one will be hard.

It’s been a week of completely clean eating and I can feel and see the results of avoiding the doughnut.

Kristen and Heidi started running with me as we headed for the Boston Store.

I needed to do run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute. I wore my Brooks, not the new Inov-8 195′s. I am going to have to figure out how to break those in for long runs.

Kristen stuck with me and Heidi went ahead. It was interesting again to see that we could still stay in sight of Heidi even with the 1 minute walk, at least for awhile.

It was really cold this morning and that did not help me get loosened up. This was one of the hardest runs I can remember.

Kristen and I made it to Boston Store and Heidi was heading back toward us. Heidi’s electronics said she had gone 2.6 miles so I am giving myself about 2.3. We tried finding the Buckeye Trail which was our original plan but were not successful so we headed back the same way we came. This all work out for the best.

We all three stayed together for a bit and I saw a figure in a bright green shirt headed our way. I suddenly recognized it was Jerry.

I did not know he was coming so we had taken off a few minutes early so Jerry was playing catch up. He joined us and we continued on, headed south back to Lock 29.

I had determined that if I got back to Lock 29 in one piece I was going to have to stop with just 5 miles for this morning. When I slowed for a minute walk, Kristen stayed with me and Heidi and Jerry went on.

That was the last we saw of them.

Kristen and I made it back to Lock 29 and the parking lot. Kristen decided to continue on and see if she would run into Heidi and Jerry on their way back in, assuming they just ran on south past Lock 29.

That was the last I saw of Kristen.

I changed into some dry clothes and headed on home.

I feel like I am running into a wall on my runs recently. As usual, not sure what is going on but I imagine it will all work itself out.

I will keep running. I would rather look the fool trying to run than look the fool in this modified hoverround I saw this afternoon.

This week ended up being a good workout and eating week.

Connors final cross country meet got cancelled Wednesday night due to rain. Hopefully that will happen this coming Sunday afternoon.

Yesterday morning the big accomplishment was an actual overhead squat with a bar and some weight over my head. Granted, 65 pounds is not much but those that know me know that getting anything over my head has been a goal for a very long time. This has been one the hardest things to accomplish. The trick will be to see if I can duplicate this but I am confident I will.

Here is a picture. I know it looks like just a big ass but for those that know me and my struggle with an overhead squat it is significant.

Thursday evening I worked on my bench press and did 10 singles, reaching 200 lbs. Could not make it past the 200 mark. Will and I finished up with a modification of Tuesdays WOD.

Will
500 M Row
15 Power Cleans 135lbs
15 Pull Ups
3 Rounds

Terry
300 M Row
8 Power Cleans 135lbs
8 Pull Ups
3 Rounds

It was significant that I did good power cleans at the 135 weight.

Back at SPC this morning. Did lots of stretching and worked on back squats.

I will be back at it in the morning when we will be doing Connor Birthday WOD. Not sure what that will be but it will have 13 of something for sure.

Whiteboard for 10-21-2010

Cindy visited the box this morning. Here are my previous Cindy numbers:
August 3, 2008 = 10
October 31, 2008 = 14
January 30, 2009 = 15
March 12, 2009 = 19
January 21, 2010 = 17
October 21, 2010 = 16+5

Today I came in with 16+5. The significant difference for me was that I did regular pull ups. No bands, no box, no jumping. I feel really good about the number and feel that my performance was pretty solid. My push ups could always go lower, along with my squats but I was pleased.

As quick as I could get myself ready after the WOD I went for the Lake Anna run. It’s time for a sweatshirt and long pants now, along with a hat. I was wearing my new Inov-8 195′s (I am the only one with these really cool shoes in the box and if it sounds like I am bragging, that is just what I am doing). I bet other people will get them after seeing mine just because they are so cool.

I think that the 3 1/2 mile run right after the workout twice a week is one of the things that has really kicked my progress up.

Will and Caryn ran this morning. As usual they start about 10 minutes after me and finish about 10 minutes before me. I just don’t get it. As they run by me I feel like me feet are moving the same as theirs but they just keep getting farther and farther ahead of me.

There was a big difference in running with the new shoes. My feet feel fine but I felt a little shin splint activity in the left leg and my right hip and hamstring is shot. I also was just running much slower than usual. I made it in just under 44 minutes so this was my longest time on this run, almost 8 minutes more than my best time. The new shoes are going to force a change in my running style.

Last night I had dinner with Eric, Connor and Will in celebration of Connor’s 12th birthday. Went to Outback in Cuyahoga Falls. Can’t reveal too many details here but we had a great time. What happens at Outback stays at Outback. Happy Birthday Connor. You can see below that cell phones have really enhanced conversation over dinner. To be fair, it just happened that both of their phones rang at the same time. They did not spend all night on the phone and it gave Eric and I a chance to talk.

Lining up to be another busy weekend. Going to work on some self defense stuff with Jerry tonight, tomorrow is a day off so WOD’s at 6AM and 11AM, Free CrossFit class at 9AM on Saturday morning followed by Akron CrossFit Grand Opening on Saturday afternoon and running on Sunday morning at 8AM.

Terry
Brett
Miranda
Tom
Steve
Eric
Will
Stacia
Kelly
Joe
Conner
Brian coaching

Continuing to avoid the pull ups. Worked on GHD prior to class. Steve and I were racing the GHD’s. Not a pretty sight.

Did OK on the rowing. I was next to Brett so I just tried to keep up with him on pulling. In my head it seems like I should have gone as far as he did but that was not the case in reality. My times were consistent across the four rounds and I kept it above 500.

Overhead squats were a total fail. Went to front squats and then back squats to get some depth.

Eating—Thinking about skipping my weigh in for tomorrow morning. Just feel like it might be bad news that I don’t really need. What I am eating is under control but my portions may be up too high. We will see what I feel like in the morning.

What hurts today—Feeling better over all but right elbow is still very tender and sore. My heel has been doing better. Have not had any headaches in the past several weeks.

This is why we don’t use a treadmill in the gym

Last night I had a really good massage from Alan. He worked on my hamstrings and made me yell out in pain a couple of times. I think the hamstrings is what causes my many of my problems. Alan said a couple of times it would be a really good idea to rest on Wednesday to let my hamstrings recover. I could not argue with that.

So much for the rest day, I was at SPC at 5 AM.

Will and I worked on hamstring stretching for about 45 minutes and then worked on warming up for the morning WOD.

Eric, Jeff, Will and I did the following:

30 Overhead Squats (I did 30 back squats at 135 lbs)
800 Meter run
30 Handstand Push Ups (I did 30 Pull Ups)
800 Meter run
30 Thrusters (I used 115, Will used 135 and I did not catch what Jeff and Eric used)

The major accomplishment in this workout for me was actually doing thrusters. I actually never completed a workout with thrusters doing them correctly. This was a new experience and a real sign of growth.

Part of the success was the hour warm up prior to doing the workout.

Some people can walk in, do a few basic stretches and pump out a workout like this. I just cannot do that. I have to spend a long time warming up. It’s the only way things will work.

Hoping the rain lets up so I can attend Connor’s last cross country track meet tonight at Walsh. Today is Connor’s 13th birthday. Happy Birthday Connor!

Thursday is typically a rest day. We will see what happens.

Whiteboard for 10-20-2010

Wore my new Inov-8′s and I am really happy with how they feel. They are going to be wide enough and are very light especially when compared to my Brooks. Actually feel as light as my 5 fingers but I really like that I can make them secure with the shoe laces. Anxious to see what happens tomorrow morning on my run. I think they will force me to change my running style a bit, hopefully for the better. I am a confirmed Zappo’s customer now. Their customer service is fantastic and not paying for return shipping is great when you are concerned about the fit of a shoe. The other thing I found out is that they don’t sell something they don’t have. None of that backorder crap. They either have it or they don’t. Thinking about ordering a second pair, as soon as I can find one. I got the last 11.5 that Zappo’s had for now but they have a cool service where they will notify you when a certain size/style comes in.

I did not feel well at all this morning but I went to workout anyway. I really believe you can just work your way out of not feeling good most of the time. I can’t need a rest day because I did nothing on Saturday and Sunday.

Double unders and Knees to Elbows this morning. I am getting some push to try double unders again. Perhaps I will but not today. I have made a real break through in the Knees to Elbows and once I can get the rhythm going I can get about 10 out unbroken. Problem is when you are getting up to 30, 40 or 50 I can’t keep the intensity up and fall back to 2 or 3 at the most chained together. Had the longest time again. All I can say is that I did the very best I could on getting real Knees to Elbows. They just take me a long time.

I came back last night and did the a CF Endurance WOD with Nick on the rower.
3 rounds of
250 Row
500 Row
750 Row
Rest between each row the exact time that it took you to do the previous row

Nick did a lot better than me on time. I was running several seconds off what I would normally expect. We took the rowers outside but I had to run and grab my sweatshirt. The sun had gone down and it was really getting cold.

What I knew would happen if Nick really starting applying himself is happening. He was quicker on all the rows yesterday and this morning he was way quicker than me on the WOD. This is what I mean about potential. When a new guy in his 20′s or 30′s who is out of shape comes in and does a WOD I can usually beat him good and can keep that up for some period of time, however, if he sticks with it for awhile he will soon be beating me. That does not mean that I am not constantly improving it just means that my potential for improvement is more limited and improvement is on a smaller scale. It’s just the way things are. Good job Nick.

I decided to take a break from self defense classes on Sunday and Tuesday for awhile and I missed not being with the guys in the class. Lot’s of reasons for my decision that are too complex to detail in the blog. Mark wrote me a really good email with his ideas about what I might be going as far as saturation with the things I have been learning. I am just going to let that simmer for awhile. It looks like Jerry J and I are going to work on some self defense stuff tomorrow night so I have not completely moved away from it, just changed things around for a bit. Maybe working with someone else in a different environment for awhile will give me a kick start. I am pretty sure I know Jerry well enough that he won’t end up going Rambo on me….I hope.

Tom continues to deal with issues related to his Grandmothers health so is still AWOL from class. I hope being off a schedule does not screw his weight program up. By that I mean I just hope he does not pack any more pounds on. If you are reading this Tom make sure you are making good choices. I got 205.6 this morning when I weighed in so I seem stabilized in the 204-206 range for now.

Looking forward to a guys night out with some friends this evening so I am going to eat really light during the day.

Eric
Terry
Dave
Brett
Will
Miranda
Brian coaching

This was another long and difficult WOD for me. I used 75LBs on the press, green band on the pull ups and 20-10 lbs on the Turkish Get Ups. My hips continue to be tight this week.

Eating—On track.

What hurts today—Good sleep last night. Did not wake up until the alarm went off. Right elbow and hips are the big issue right now.

On Monday morning I was at SPC at 5 AM. Worked on back squats and then did the WOD which was a total suck fest.

WOD

I had to push the push press weight down to 95 lbs and used the 35 lb KB for the tatters.

I was really sore from Saturday and Sunday and this did not help any.

Went to Yoga. It was so bad that the instructor finally said I could sit on the chair rather than the floor. So,…..I did chair Yoga. I asked Malcolm how often he has people do that and Malcolm tried to be as kind as possible as he explained he had never seen that happen.

I liked the instructor and the other people in the class but Yoga is not for me. In addition to the physical agony of trying to sit on the floor I have an issue with the incense that is burned. At the first smell my head starts hurting. This goes along with the sensitivity I have acquired to certain perfumes and other smells.

Yoga is not for me. I gave it a good try but I won’t be going back.

This morning back at SPC but I did not do a WOD. I stretched and tried to do some cleans but the pain level was too high so I did not accomplishment much. Looks like it’s time for a rest day.

I have a 90 massage with Alan tonight.

Whiteboard for 10-19-2010

Did OK on the WOD. With any lifting WOD I always get better as the WOD goes on and I get warmed up so there is that “sweet spot” where I get warm enough and before I am totally exhausted. Does not last long but feels good while it does.

Today was Connor’s birthday so most things had a theme of 12, even the number of people in class.

After the WOD I headed out the door for the 3 1/2 mile run to Lake Anna and back. I was over 3/4th of the way around the lake when Will, Caryn and Dan started around the lake. There was a chance I could actually make it back to the box without them overtaking me.

That did not work out this morning. I was less than a block away when Will came past me. They found me once they came over the hill and Will could not take having me get in first.

I came in at 38 minutes. I just can’t seem to make any progress on speed. Best time is 36 minutes, worse is 43 minutes.

Last night I went back and did yesterday’s WOD over again with different movements. I did KB Swings (55 lbs), sit ups, push ups and air squats.

Going to do my best to get back tonight to do a CF Endurance WOD with Nick. I am starting to feel a little off, like a cold starting up but I am going to do my best to just ignore it.

I got my Inov-8 195′s today. I am the first, as far as I know, to get a pair in the box. While I may not be cool myself, I do have the coolest feet in the box, for now.

Jumped on the scale after the run and got 204.6. Big relief to get away from that 208 even if some of it was water. Tom has been away from the box with some family issues so not sure when we will get to compare weights again.

Stacia
Eric
Will
Aaron
Terry
Joe
Steve
Kelly
Miranda
Tom
Brian coaching

Not a big fan of the WOD today. The last two times we have done Burpees I had really made progress. Today my hips were uncased in cement and I had a really hard time moving. This is the type of morning where I would really just like to walk out the door but I just keep moving to get the WOD done.

This morning I tried working on a new movement to loosen up my hips but could not even do the movement that was suppose to help me loosen them up.

The good news was that yesterdays deadlifts did not hurt my back. My back has been feeling great for several months.

I did find a video that is helping me with my Turkish Get Up. This guy loves them so much he does them on his beer run. He really sticks to it and never gives up.

Turkish Get Up Modification from KettleBell Guy on Vimeo.

Watching this guy makes me feel much better about my own Turkish Get Ups.

Eating—On track

What hurts today—Right elbow was much worse this morning. I am out of the pull up business for a while. Hips were really tight. With the elbow and hips I hardly noticed my heel hurting at all.

Wow, maybe I need to make this a weekly blog rather than a daily blog. It’s clear I am falling short.

Hit SPC on Wednesday for the following workout:

WOD

Beginner
4 Rounds
5 Thrusters (light weight work
This WOD sucked. I did 95 pounds for the thrusters and push ups. Not impressed with myself.

Thursday was going to be a rest day but I did go and did the warm up and worked on shoulder press with Malcolm. Not an aggressive workout but it got me moving.

For Friday I made up the Paleo WOD:

Prescribed
5 Rounds
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Box Hops (24/20)
Then….
500m Row

Following that I worked with some of the other guys on Olympic lifting working on the Snatch.

Passed on Friday evening run due to the weather.

Saturday morning back at SPC and and did a team workout. Will and I were a team so that means that life sucked for me. We started off with alternating 250 M rows until each team had 1000 meters.

We then working on the Bear Complex.

Ladder up to 8 reps. This means partner one does one bear complex, partner two does one and you keep increasing the number of reps to 8

I did 115 lbs and Will did 135 lbs.

Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press

Bar must touch the ground each sequence but cannot rest on the ground or it terminates the set.
Rest as needed between sets.
You must power clean the bar to full standing position before squatting the weight.

After that we drove over to Hudson Springs Park to watch Connor compete in his Cross Country Championships.

Then the best part…..breakfast at “Yours Truly” in Hudson.

This morning, Sunday, was run day. We had a long and tough trail run. This mess took me 2 hours and 17 minutes.

After a quick breakfast it was back to SPC and work on Bench Press. We did a routine of 12 sets of 2. That took awhile.

While I finish this blog entry up I am waiting for a call from Debbie telling me she is back in town and to come pick her up. She was suppose to be back yesterday but I guess there was some problems with directions. They stayed overnight somewhere in Virginia and are on the road back now……I think.

Malcolm claims he will be at Yoga tomorrow night which means I need to be there. I can only hope something important comes up in his life so he will not be able to go and get me off the hook.

Very different weekend for me this time.

I was invited down to Columbus for a Cheer Jamfest at the Convention Center for Saturday. It was quite an experience.

I did not run or do self defense on Sunday.

That means this entire weekend was a rest (weak) weekend.

I did not do anything related to fitness and really made some detours on my diet.

Hopefully the damage will not be too bad.

What is find really interesting is that I am not unhappy or guilty, I just want to get back in to my routine. If I have gone up a couple of pounds on the scale in the morning I know how to drop those in a day or two. I don’t think I will be too sore after not working our for two days. Actually, right now on Sunday evening I am feeling pretty good.

Trying to look at this as the best thing that could have happened and it was way past time for a couple days off the wod and the diet.

Can’t wait for 6AM to get here.

No Yoga last night, Malcolm crapped out and I am much to shy and self conscious to go by myself. OK, weak excuse but weak excuses work for everyone else so why not me? Bottom line you are where you want to be and doing what you want to do. I don’t want to do Yoga but I will go if Malcolm goes next week.

I slept well last night which is becoming a real problem. I don’t want to get out of the bed but I pushed and went to the 6 AM CrossFit Class at SPC. It’s a good thing I don’t check the website to see what the workout is going to be in the morning because I may not have gone. The WOD included two sets of 46 burpees. I really hate burpees just because they take me so long to accomplish.

I did knees to elbows. 5 seconds after starting I hear Kyle saying “Keep your arms straight Terry”. Crap.

Skill: Deadhang Pull Ups 3×10 (If you can’t do 10 do as many as possible, if 10 is too easy add weight, if you can’t do any do ring rows with your feet elevated)

Beginner
10 Sit Ups
23 Burpees
10 Sit Ups
65 Single Skips
10 Sit Ups
65 Single Skips
10 Sit Ups
23 Burpees
10 Sit Ups

As I reviewed the WOD I realise I did 165 single skips. Why can’t I ever screw up in my favor?

I was last one done. Another shocker.

Whiteboard for 10-12-2010

Overhead Squats is not one of my favorites, in fact I simply can’t do them. I sub’d front squats and worked with Nick this morning. On the good side I did know my previous PR was 165. That was from my highest of 210. This morning I fought for 170 so I was happy with that even if it was just 5 pounds more than last time. I am happy to see any improvement on the strength side.

Nick worked on his OHS. He did not recall his previous PR which I find is often a good thing. That was you are not limited by what you achieved before. Nick got 165. After the WOD he found out his previous PR was 125. It has to make you wonder if knowing that the previous PR was 125 prior to the workout would have had an impact on the 165. Good job Nick.

I was disengaged from the AMRAP WOD this morning. The high point is that I was able to get my Knees to Elbows going pretty good a couple of times. Once I find the right rhythm I can bang out 5 or 10 in a row.

I started my run as quickly as I could after the AMRAP was over. I did not feel near as comfortable on this run as I did last Saturday. It was a real struggle. I stopped to walk for 1 minute at 10, 21 and 31 minutes. My total time was 39:45. Saturday I had 36:44. Somehow it took me 3 minutes longer this morning. I really hate to run.

My rib is really starting to heal up. I think it was just a bruise or small separation, not a crack. It’s feeling too good. There is some general discomfort at times but most of the time I don’t even think about it. It’s not a problem at night anymore and I expect in another couple of days I will be past this.

Got 204.8 on the scale. I really thought I was going to pop up after the Saturday and Sunday breakfast feasts I had. No Tom this morning so we will just have to assume I am weighing less than him.

I am upping my protein intake and having a protein drink right after the WOD and breakfast when I get home. I will start taking the protein into the box with me in the morning. This morning I drank it with my breakfast.

I will have another EAS before bed.

Breakfast:
EAS Protein 1 scoop shake with 1 banana, 1 tablespoon Almond butter
6 oz turkey bacon
8 oz egg beater omelet with 1 oz shredded cheese (olive oil)
large bunch of grapes

I have a pre-made salad with some chicken in it ready for lunch and a 1/2 pound steak for later in the day. During the day I will snack on grapes, cheese and almonds and have another protein shake late in the evening.

This seems like a lot of food when I am eating it but when you write it down it does not look like all that much.

Self defense class tonight. Hopefully I can get down on the mat for a little while to test out the rib.

Thinking seriously about making tomorrow morning just a “active rest” morning at the box and just work on stretching and abs. I know that to some people it seems so odd that I just don’t stay at home in bed and take a real “rest” day but that is not the way I am wired. I have to go every morning. That is just the way it works. Saturday will be a total rest day with other activities taking up the day so we will see if all this resting makes any difference.

Miranda
Alex
Shane
Brandon
Will
Steve
Terry
Tomas
Eric
Joe
Tom
Terry
Brian coaching

Another full house this morning, especially with bars flying everywhere.

Rx for weight was 95lbs. I went with 75lbs. Also, I did push press rather than Thrusters. My squats really did not count as squats.

This workout was tough on everyone.

On 9/4/2009 we did a similar WOD.

Eating—On track. Did an unofficial weight check and was up several pounds. Don’t understand what is up with that. Will try to hold of weighing again until Friday. Of course on the day I am up some pounds is also the day that Brian mentioned he could see my ribs. Maybe those two things balance each other out.

What hurts today—Bad night with my right heel. Once I got going this morning it was much better. Just a few assisted pull ups this morning. Trying to give my right elbow a rest.

I had a really hard time getting started with the thrusters (or push press) this morning. My first attempt I could not even get 75lbs up. That got better but there is something else going on in my right arm. It’s not my elbow or shoulder but there is a new pain between my elbow and shoulder that hits when I engage with weight overhead. Hard to describe.

Starting yesterday morning it is pitch black when coming out of the gym after the workout. No question that fall is here. Wonder when the snow will start.

The picture below is from a winter day last year and is one of my favorites. Brian scratched CrossFit Legacy into the ice on the front door of the gym. I use this for my PC Wallpaper during the winter.

Do you have your Shake Weight yet? Sure sounds easier and quicker than Thrusters, Cleans and SDLHP’s.

]]> http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/11/9413/feed/ 0 http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/10/101011-monday-another-catch-up/ http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/10/101011-monday-another-catch-up/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:19:47 +0000 trboh http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/?p=9405 Wow, it’s getting harder and harder to keep things updated. Maybe I am just too busy doing things.

Took a rest day for Thursday and was back at SPC on Friday morning.

Izzy came with me on Friday. I ended up doing two WOD’s.

I made up the WOD from Thursday, shown below:

WOD

Prescribed & Intermediate
5 Rounds
Run 400m
25 Air Squats

Beginner
4 Rounds
Run 200m
15 Air Squats

Following that I did a Garage Games workout with Eric and Jeff.

Garage Games World Wide WOD 1 Masters division
10 Deadlift 225 Pounds
15 Sit-ups
10 Bar Facing Burpees
AMRAP in 7 Minutes

I moved slow, getting 2 rounds plus 5 reps. Eric was 4 rounds plus some reps.

That was a tough couple of hours.

Friday night I ran trails with Malcolm. We made it 3.5 miles on the Buckeye Trail and DogWood Trail in Sand Run Park.

Saturday was another rest day. I am getting good at rest days.

Sunday we had our long trail run. Due to the TowPath Marathon we had to stay on the trails. Ended up doing 7.77 miles in a round trip from Pine Lane Trailhead to Boston Store Trailhead. It was a really tough run, at least for me.

This morning, Monday, I was at SPC at 5 AM. I did the WOD and actually did pretty good. Used the prescribed weight of 155 for the deadlifts. I did not run outside and rowed 800 M’s instead. It’s just too dark outside for me to navigate the route and feel safe. I have enough trouble seeing in the daylight.

Eric, Jeff, Izzy and I worked on handstand push ups and push ups after the WOD. Actually I played more of an advisory and supervisory role.

Hey, it’s Monday! And that means it’s YOGA night! I am going to give it one more chance. We will see how tonight goes.

---

ONE YEAR AGO

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Whiteboard for 10-11-2010

CrossFit at 6AM. Worked hard and fast on bench press prior to class.

The big surprise for the morning was that I was actually able to touch the floor on the GHD back extensions. Have no idea where that came from. Then I moved up to holding the PVC pipe between your arms, behind your head and doing the GHD Sit Ups. That also went well.

For the WOD you were to do 100 ring or regular push ups. If you stopped during the 100 you had to do 20 burpees. I decided from the beginning to just do 25 push ups and then 20 burpees. I felt that would make a good workout for me. I still need to work more on technique and form on the ring push ups. Brian and Will helped me after the WOD was over so that is one more thing to add to my list to improve.

I had my height measured and much to my surprise I came in at 6′ 1″ max. I really thought I was 6′ 3″. I have my doc visit next month and know for sure my height was checked a couple of years back. I just need to verify what that was. I sure hope I have not started to shrink already. That would suck.

After the WOD I hit the bench press again. I am actually getting better. Not getting any real weight up but the cool thing is now I feel like getting my body weight up is not out of the question, just a matter of time. Fortunately now I only need to get about 210 to get my body weight vs. 260.

I was up on the scale, which I expected. 206.8. I think the two big breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday did me in. Having those breakfasts really messes with my regular weekday schedule for eating.

I have about decided to back off self defense class on Sunday afternoons while the running club is running on Sunday mornings. Last week seemed OK when we just hiked but after 6 hard miles yesterday morning I was just sore everywhere and exhausted. Of course, still nursing the bruised or separated or cracked rib does not help. The bigger problem is that I was so exhausted that I was not clearly hearing the instructions given. They just were not making any sense. I know it was not Mark because he gives me instruction all the time. It was me. I was just not comprehending the instructions as quickly as I do when I am not as tired.

I will stick with Tuesday evenings and see what happens.

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ONE YEAR AGO
CrossFit at 6AM.
Will
Conner
Stacia
Miranda
Tyler
Shane
Kelly
Terry
Tomas
Dave
Brett
Eric
Brian coaching

Another full house for Monday morning. Only 3 weeks until we will be in the new gym. I was thinking this morning that Brian is really going to have to yell loud or get a Mr. Microphone in the new gym. It’s so big that people might have trouble hearing. Maybe we can find a Mr. Microphone on Craigslist.

Felt really slow on the warm up this morning….until I realized I did 3 rounds instead of 2.

Will was able to hold onto first place by a couple of seconds. Conner and Stacia were on his tail.

I felt good about my performance. I feel I had good form on most of my push/jerks.

I dropped down from 135 lbs to 115 lbs for the push jerk. That was a wise move. Did 225/195/165 single jump ropes in place of double unders.

Today’s WOD
Click for larger image

Warm Up	10 Push Ups 10 Sit Ups 10 Pull Ups 2 Rounds
Skill	Push Jerk
WOD	75 Double Unders (or 3 X single) 15 Push Jerk 65 Double Unders 9 Push Jerks 55 Double Unders 6 Push Jerks For Time
Results	135 Will 7:23 35 Conner 7:26 65 Stacia 7:26 65 Miranda 8:14 95 Tyler 9:16 95 Shane 9:50 45 Kelly 9:55 115 Terry 10:02 135 Tomas 11:20 115 Dave 11:25 135 Brett 12:01 45 Eric 16:49 (shoulder issue)

Eating—On track. Got a pound of Canadian bacon this morning that will last me several days as meat for breakfast.

What hurts today—Biggest issue now is the right elbow tendonitis. I have got to back off on pull ups. It is not getting any better and the pain is starting to impact other things I do other than the pull ups. Right heel still causes issues first thing in the morning but is better than it was. Have only had one headache in the past few weeks.

Best of Akron, Ohio

According to the Akron Beacon Journal’s 2009 “Best” annual contest CrossFit Legacy ranks 2nd in the Akron area for Best Workout Place. Results were released in the October 11, 2009 Sunday Edition of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Here’s the entire list of 10 workout places:
1. Akron General Lifestyles
2. CrossFit Legacy
3. Stow Jazzercise Center
4. RP Fitness… Read More
5. Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium
6. YMCA
7. Pilates by Murphys
8. The Body Builders Gym
9. Shaw JCC
10. Summa Wellness Institute

Akron General Lifestyles is a medically supervised health and fitness facility focused on the prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related disease, illness and injury. Medical doctors oversee the entire operation, right down to the purchase of supplies and equipment. More than 50 percent of LifeStyles members come because they are at high risk due to a chronic condition or to prevent the onset of a chronic condition. www.akrongeneral.org/life-styles

Progress at the new gym
Concrete for the parking area went down on Saturday morning.

photo credit Brian Yoak, CrossFitLegacy

]]> http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/10/101011-monday-another-catch-up/feed/ 0 http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/05/100511-power-hang-cleans-and-benchpress/ http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/05/100511-power-hang-cleans-and-benchpress/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:40:05 +0000 trboh http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/?p=9398 Hit SPC at 5:00 AM.

Did the 5 AM WOD which included Power Hang Cleans.

Warm Up: TC

Skill: Bodyweight Skill of Choice

WOD

Prescribed
15-12-9-12-15
Hang Power Cleans (95/65)
Ring Push Ups

Intermediate
15-12-9-12-15
Hang Power Clean (scale weight)
Push Ups

Beginner
12-9-6-9-12
Hang Power Clean (light weight work form)
Push Ups

I used the prescribed weight of 95lbs for the cleans and that worked real well. I did use my knees on the push ups but I had great range of motion.

Eric, Jeff and I worked for about an hour on benchpress after the WOD.

Feeling really good this morning although I did not sleep much at all last night. I had an itching spell on my left arm. I just about tore the skin off it scratching. It stopped as quickly as it started.

The plans for the nutrition seminar have been announced. That starts Monday.

Be sure to check out the progress of people on the 100 Days of Push Ups Challenge. Click on the little guy below for the current status.

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ONE YEAR AGO

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Whiteboard for 10-6-2010

CrossFit at 6 AM. Worked on bench press prior to class. Still using little girl weight but improvement will come with time.

Really restless night with the rib. If I don’t lay just the right way the pain will wakes me up, over and over and over. Makes for a long night.

We worked on the Prowler for the first time. This is something like a sled that you push across the floor. It’s made of metal and you can add weight plates to it. It sucked for the girls because of the base weight. The guys did not add any extra weight so everyone was moving the same amount of weight.

Did the WOD as prescribed. Used 35lb KB for the renegade rows and used several weight plates to elevate my arm to make sure I had a straight arm form. I could only do about 10 at a time because I had to hold my breath. If I tried to breath while doing them my ribs would act up and I would have to stop. I did every Knees to Elbow as a real Knees to Elbow. That really slows me down but it takes as long as it takes.

Warm Up	10 Inch Worms 10 GHD Back Ext 10 Ab Mat Style Set Ups
Skill	Prowler
WOD	200 M Run Renegade Row each arm Knees to Elbows 10-20-30-40-50
Results	See whiteboard for results

Had a good self defense class last night. Worked on striking and kicking drills. Stayed off the mat due to the rib issue.

I got weighed in again and got 205 which was a surprise. I am sure that a least a pound of that was water from sweat.

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ONE YEAR AGO

CrossFit at 6AM.

Will
Brett
Eric
Tomas
Miranda
Dave
Terry
Brian coaching

A “Chipper” has many different movement with high reps and one round. Two ideas for the name are you “chip” away at the total work load or you feel like you have been spit out of a wood chipper when done. Take your pick.

I actually like chippers. Because of the number of different movements there is always the chance there will be something I can do or enjoy. Since you only have to do 1 round of each moment if there is something I suck at I only have to do it once. I also like the longer time frame. It make me feel like I have really accomplished something.

It was another bad day as far as pain. This is just one of those times when everything is hurting. Usually it’s just one or two things. Also, for the last two days I have been sick to my stomach during most of the workout. That is something new.

For the lunges I held on lightly to a white band. My left knee really likes to go out underneath me but if I have that band for balance it really helps. Did jumping pull ups. Did Box Steps. Did single jump ropes. Did box dips rather than ring dips. Did knees to belly button instead of knees to elbows. Did something that was not really identifiable for my Hang Squat Cleans. Other than those few modifications I was right on track.

We used the GHD for our warmup with setups and WOD for Back Ext. The GHD and I are still trying to warm up to each other but right now our relationship is like a blind date gone bad on a reality show.

Today’s WOD
Click for larger image

Warm Up	Farmer Carry 160′ 2X Waiter Walk 160′ 2X each arm 20 GHD Sit Ups
WOD	“Chipper” 25 Walking lunges 20 Pull Ups 50 Box Jumps 20 Double unders 20 Ring Dips 20 Knee to Elbow 30 KB Swing 30 Sit Ups 20 Hang Squat Cleans 25 Back Ext (GHD) 30 Wall Balls For time
Results	Will 14:36 Brett 20:29 Eric 21:44 Tomas 20:00 Miranda 16:58 Dave 18:15 Terry 21:32

Will was flying through this chipper. Any predictions on anyone from the other classes being able to beat him?

Eating—Made peppers, onions and chicken yesterday. Last night made a big bowl of Banana Ice Cream. This time I stirred in walnuts. Going to try some strawberry ice cream next.

What hurts today—My right elbow has become much more painful and that is messing up many of my movements. My heel is still causing issues. There will not be a Saturday class this week so I will have two days off. We will see if that helps.

]]> http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/05/100511-power-hang-cleans-and-benchpress/feed/ 0 http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/04/100411-tuesday-back-squats-and-a-yoga-on-the-side/ http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/2011/10/04/100411-tuesday-back-squats-and-a-yoga-on-the-side/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:44:08 +0000 trboh http://kettlebellguy.com/blog/?p=9391 Last night I broke down and went to Yoga class with Malcolm.

The class is held in a historic old church building in Hudson. Much like my own home there is not one level or squared surface in the entire building.

I met the instructor who was a very nice guy and there were about 4 females and 4 males in the class. The average age must have been about 45-50.

I gave it my best effort but the entire two hours was total hell. I hurt the entire time and the only moment that contained any joy was the very end where we just laid flat on our backs with our eyes closed.

The best thing I can say about this morning is that I do not hurt anymore that I did before so I am no worse for wear. I am going to try it one more time. I don’t want to be that guy that just stops without giving things a good chance. So, the jury is still out on my yoga future.

I went to SPC this morning but once I saw the WOD it turned into a strength day. I am still working on coming up with a new schedule for working out. 2 hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning for sure. Thursday as a rest day and Tuesday still up in the air.

I worked on on back squats and got a good one at 200 pounds. It was worth the effort.

Here is the WOD I did not do. If I had done this I would have been whipped for the day and tomorrow. Hopefully by skipping and doing strength I will be able to perform well tomorrow morning.

50 Ways to Heave Your Lunch Up…
By Sepi and Barfunkel

Warm Up: TC

Skill: Back Squats 4×2 (90%)

WOD

Prescribed & Intermediate
50 Calorie Row
50 KB SDHP (70/55)
50 Burpees
50 Wall Balls
50 OH Walking Lunges (45/25)
50 Double Unders (150 Singles)

Beginner
25 Calorie Row
25 KB SDHP (30/20)
25 Burpees
25 Air Squats
25 Walking Lunges
50 Single Skips

I am working to get set up for the nutrition challenge starting Monday. Still don’t know what all is involved in the challenge but I am going to be doing the blood work to track my numbers. I have started using MY FITNESS PAL to track my nutrition. It’s pretty simple and all I am really interested in is grams of Carbs, Protein and Fat.

Dumping wheat is not a problem for me but giving up my cheese is going to be a major challenge.

Be sure to check out the progress of people on the 100 Days of Push Ups Challenge. Click on the little guy below for the current status.

It’s been one year since my Body Pod test where my body fat was 12.6. I weighed in at 210 that day and I am up 15-20 pounds. My hope is that the nutrition seminar will help me dump a few pounds prior to the end of the year and I will have the Body Pod done again.

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ONE YEAR AGO

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Whiteboard for 10-5-2010

CrossFit at 6 AM. Still nursing the bruised/separated/cracked rib which I imagine I will be doing for awhile so did not do much before the class warm up.

The really sharp pains from the rib are not as bad now. I don’t know if they are less painful or I am just more use to them. The biggest problem is just sneezing or coughing. That is very difficult.

Dan Bailey was in class with us this morning and did really well on the WOD. Will was right behind him.

Warm Up	10 Front Squat (45/25) 15 GHD Sit Ups 10 Push Ups (Hand Release)
Skill	Muscle Up Transition
WOD	“Elizabeth” 21-15-9 Squat Clean (135/95) Ring Dip
Results	See Whiteboard for results

I modified the squat cleans to deadlifts and the ring dips to Knees to Elbows on the bar. I went slow and easy. I am glad I did that rather than just lay in the bed at home. I did not go running this morning, that might have been pushing it a little. I was really tired after the WOD. The pain from the ribs really used up a lot of my energy.

I am confident the rib will get better each day.

I had a “Bod Pod” body composition measurement done today at Akron University. I know there is always controversy over the accuracy of fat percent measurements but I am happy to go with this one. I got a 12.6 body fat reading. Really not much else to say about that other than I want to do it again in the spring and see what improvement I am able to make. Click for a larger image.

Bod Pod results 10-5-2010

Tom was back today and we weighed in. 210 for Tom and 208 for me. Again, not much else to say about that.

Self Defense class tonight. I am going to take it easy because of the rib but I don’t want to miss.

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ONE YEAR AGO

The main movement last year was Squat Cleans, same as today.

CrossFit at 6AM.

Brett
Tomas
Stacia
Tom
Will
Steve
Brandon
Joe
Eric

This mornings WOD did not go well at all. I won’t go down the list of my whiner complaints. It just sucked.

The best thing I can say about it is I got up and went and did the little bit I could. That in itself is more than most people.

Today’s WOD
Click for larger image

Warm Up	10 Jumping Squats 15 Knee to Elbow 3 Rounds
Skill	Squat Clean
WOD	20 KB High Pulls 10 Squat Cleans 3 Rounds
Results	(135) Brett 9:46 (135) Tomas 8:55 (65) Stacia 9:29 (95) Tom 12:38 (75) Terry 11:46 (95) Will 12:53 (95) Steve 10:23 (115) Brandon 13:12 (135) Joe 13:32 (115) Eric 11:16

Eating—On track.

What hurts today—Everything.

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