Break

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog.

I am truly enjoying keeping it, and I will continue to update it, but not for a couple of weeks. There is a lot going on in my life, and I have to take a break from the blog in order to manage it all.  Of course, that doesn't mean I will take any breaks from CrossFit!

Please check back during the first week of May!

A concert and a WOD

The Keyport Concert Series is a staple for Navy Band Northwest. It is a constant conglomeration of concerts that run all year, except for a little while in the summer. Today was one of those concerts, and assisted living facilities all around the area were there in force! 

Anyway, my hand is still good and mutilated, but it is healing pretty well, despite losing a couple of stitches today, maybe during the gig. Oh well, I feel fine. Good enough to do overhead squats!


AMRAP in 20 minutes:

15 knees to elbows (K2Es)
15 overhead squats (95lbs)
15 back extensions

This workout kicked my booty, especially the overhead squats. I think it is a neglected movement for me. It is odd, because I do plenty of squats and overhead work, even a great deal of thrusters, but I am having some difficulties translating the skills. I am keeping my grip wide and my shoulders shrugged. The weight is back and over my heels. Anywho, I am having difficulties with it, which might just be a matter of developing the fine muscle control and muscular endurance to keep the weight stabilized overhead.

Rounds: 5 + 15 K2Es

Not bad for the gimp.

Kitsap County March For Babies!

This is my amazing wife, Emily. She is the March of Dimes Community Director for... uh... like half of the state of Washington, actually. This is the busiest time of year for March of Dimes, because it is when they raise the majority of their money through the "March For Babies." If you have never heard of it, people ask their friends to donate money to their "walk," which they collect and then turn in on the day of the March For Babies, just before they do a 5 mile run/walk around the city. There are a lot of moving parts, she had 45 volunteers working for her today - lots of work!

Of course, she does all kinds of fund raising and awareness activities for the March of Dimes throughout the year, but we are all especially proud of her today for pulling off such a flawless event, and everyone think about her next Friday when she does the same thing in our state's capitol (she is the only Community Director in the state who manages more than one March For Babies event each year... crazy).

You rock, babe!

Ok, now for the CrossFit. My hand is still gimp and will be for a while, but I am slowly forcing it to do my bidding. Today I took on thrusters. I have to forgo the form a bit, which I am sure Dan would yell at me for, but I have to "death grip" the front squats. Sorry, Dan... it is the only way, because I can't bend my fingers back, yet.

Thrusters
3-3-3-3-3

Loads (lbs): 135, 135, 140, 145, 150

I am fairly convinced I could do a bit more when my hand heals, but my front squat PR is only 175lbs, and my push press PR is only 165lbs, so I think I am pretty close to where I should be for a 3RM, especially for not having complete use of my right hand.

There is great news today though, and I will let the video tell the story:

20 double unders, in a row! After eating a relatively Paleo lunch at Mandarin Chinese in Silverdale today (except for the excess salt, it really was mostly a Paleo meal...), I felt like a MetCon big-time. I am still suffering in this department, because I hate running, I don't own a rower (YET!), and most of my favorite CrossFit WODs are still inaccessible, due to the condition of my hand. I am making do with what I know, though!

2 rounds:

100 double unders

1 minute rest between rounds

Record times.

Times: 2:50; 3:05

I really almost had a better time on my second round, but the last ten double unders just really got to me, and I couldn't get my rhythm in sync. Oh, well, I am totally proud of this time. A month ago I was still afraid of double unders.

GHDs and back extensions

I am posting a day late, I know. Today is actually my rest day, but yesterday I had a frustrating WOD, discouraging me from wanting to talk about it.

I need a Glute Ham Developer. My makeshift solution really hurts my feet and makes my legs cramp up, not to mention the discomfort in my... *ahem*

So, this is an excellent lessons-learned about purchasing a GHD without a split pad, since that is essentially what I am working with now, and it is very uncomfortable.

Alright, here was the WOD:


5 rounds for time:
30 GHD situps
25 back extensions

My time? Well, it is hard to say. My stopwatch read 19:05. That is what I recorded in my logbook, but I could've gone so much faster if it wasn't for the balance issues trying to flip over in my contraption. The sharp edges of my plyobox aren't a problem when I am jumping on it, but rolling over on it scratches my legs and draws blood!

So, any ideas? I am leaning towards the Wright GHD. Thoughts?

More double-unders

Get used to it, people! My right hand is mush, so I need movements that don't require a tremendous amount of grip strength or my right-hand ring and pinky fingers. So, today I pull this one out of the main site March 2010 Archives.

5 rounds for time:


40 double-unders
30 box jumps (24" box)
20 1.5 pood kettlebell swings

Again, no pictures. Sorry, I just don't have it in me, plus my hand is gross and camera shy.

Time: 26:32

As much progress as I made on the double-unders, the box jumps proved the most difficult part for me, and the kettlebell swings were challenging due to the fact that I was so concerned about my hand. The last thing I want is to pop a stitch, because anyone who knows me realizes I would sew it back up myself with a paper clip and twine before going back to the emergency room - I hate "public health spaces," which is what call doctors' offices, e-rooms, hospitals, clinics, labs, etc. To quote Steve Carrell, "The office is not where you go to die... that is what hospitals are for."

Anyway, I am super proud of my double-unders. Not only did I do more today in one sitting than I ever had before (previous record was 150), but I also did 8 in a row!!! That is, one right after another, just like those crazy folks at the CrossFit Games. Awesome. I am amazed at my own improvement in this regard. Not a bad time, although there were much more impressive ones posted in the comments on the main site! I love it - Lots of room to grow!

I look like Hellboy...

I realize as I sit here and type, looking down at my hands, that one hand is easily twice as big as the other. That, and I look like Franken-Hand.

Again, no pictures today. Those might not come back for a while. My life is just a little haywire at the moment, so I am lucky just to get out there and train.

I can't play trumpet, I can't focus very well, and I am in some pretty serious pain, but I tell you all right now - This will not deter me from CrossFitting.

Back Squats

3-3-1-1-1

Then....

3 rounds for time:
50 double unders
50 back extensions

The back squat workout comes from KCF.

PRs all around!

Back squat loads (pounds): 165, 175, 180, 185 (PR), 190 (new PR!)

Time on double unders/back extentions: 18:30 (PR by over 10 minutes!)

I am especially proud of my progress on double unders. I actually did 15 without stopping the rope. This really improved my time, compared to only a week ago when I did this workout at over 28 minutes!

My hand really hurts, despite being on tons of meds. I have to go back to work tomorrow, and we will just have to wait and see what that is like. Ah, life... always keeping things interesting. I would like to say how awesome my wife, Emily, is for stepping up around the house, especially with respect to doing dishes, which is usually something I do, since she makes most of our awesome meals. I love you, baby!

Tonight's meal: Grass Fed Beef Filet Mignon with baked broccoli florets. mmmmmmmmmm

Baker

I have to share a tragedy that occurred this weekend. Baker, our newly-adopted English Springer Spaniel, attacked me on Saturday night, at about 11:00pm. It was a brutal attack that has left my right hand in pretty bad shape, lots of stitches and swelling.

We no longer have Baker, it is very sad, and we are heart-broken. The next day, I had to workout, and relieve some of the stress and anger. I made up this workout and named it "Baker," a goodbye to the dog I used to know.

Baker

Tabata Sequence:
box jumps (22.5")
36lb kettlebell swings
AbMat situps
95lb back squats

No pictures. No videos. Just a painful farewell WOD.

Box jumps: 9, 10, 9, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9

KBS: 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 9, 9

Situps: 16, 15, 15, 15, 13, 13, 13, 14

Back squats: 6, 5, 6, 6, 6, 5, 6, 6

So, to all my fellow CrossFitters, I am looking for WODs I can do without my right hand for the next couple of months. Please e-mail me your ideas.

Squats, squats, and squats... oh, and some PRs, too!

Today was 1RM squat day!

Overhead Squat
1-1-1-1-1


Front Squat
1-1-1-1-1


Back Squat
1-1-1-1-1

After an upper-body week from hell, it felt really good to knock these squats out. Also, I spent the entire day, starting at 8:30am, sitting in a chair doing schoolwork. So, I was glad to get out in the garage and get some!

Loads: Overhead squat: 95, 115, 135, 145 (PR), 150 (fail); Front squat: 135, 155, 165, 175 (PR), 180 (fail); Back squat: 135, 155, 170 (PR), 180 (PR), 185 (fail)

So, 15 squats (yeah... ok, so I only actually completed 12), and 3 PRs!

Now, I think I will watch the Men's Chipper from the 2009 CrossFit Games.  

Rowing intervals and command PT

Row 1600 meters
Rest 3 minutes
Row 1200 meters
Rest 2 minutes
Row 800 meters
Rest 1 minute
Row 400 meters


Record each time.

Can I just say how much I love rowing? I really wish I had one of these, because I think I would use it all the time. Now, having said that, feeling like your legs are going to fall off at about 600 meters and thinking to yourself, "Oh good, just 1000 more meters!" is unpleasant at best.

There is a great volume of data (articles and videos) in the CrossFit Journal that discusses rowing technique. A couple of months ago I really clued in on a couple of points, including the damper setting, the start strategy, and some basic form issues. It has been extremely helpful. I am hoping next month to break my 3k time.

Times: 5:57, 4:29, 3:00, 1:27

So, today was also command PT, and we had these guys do "Angie."

Angie


for time:
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

Great efforts all around, as usual. With our semi-annual PT test coming up, the pushups and situps give us a good idea of where everyone is in terms of projected performance, but it should be noted that we uphold standards on these events. Pushups go to the floor, and all the way back up. The Navy... well... they do the best they can :)