Squat Clean Jerk and Pullups 12-31-08

Squat Clean and Jerk

95 x 5

115 x 3

135 x 2

155 x 2

165 x 1

185 x 1 (25lb PR)

190 (Failed Twice.  Failed on the jerk)

Failed on the jerk portion of the lift.  So that makes it a Squat Clean PR of 190lbs x 2.  Cool.  Just barely missed the second jerk attempt by not quite locking out my elbow.  Doh!  I'll definitely get it next time.

Inspired by TexasPatrick from BrandX:

7 Squat Clean and Jerk 135lbs

21 Pullups

5 Squat Clean and Jerk 145lbs

15 Pullups

3 Squat Clean and Jerk 155lbs

9 Pullups

6:37

That was a fun heavy metcon.  A little different by adding weight with each set of clean and jerks.  Good way to bring in the new year with a big Squat Clean and Jerk PR which is also 5lbs over my bodyweight.  Sweet!

Deadlift and Boxjumps 12-29-08

Deadlift

255 x 5

285 x 3

315 x 1

335 x 1

355 x 1

375 (failed)

365 x 1

150 Boxjumps 20"

5:23

First time Josh has ever beat me in a workout.  He got 5:04.  Good job brother.  But I have to point out that I squatted heavy yesterday and deadlifted right before the box jumps...so obviously that's the only reason he beat me, right?  Nah...you are doing great and making good progress.  I gotta keep working hard so you don't overtake me.

Tied my best deadlift while keeping a reasonably straight back.  I wasn't expecting too much with my single rep max because I haven't been PR'ing recently in the 5 and 3 rep range due to a reset caused by form.  Hopefully it will come after the next 6 week cycle of CFSB.  Attempted a HSPU against a wall but that soo wasn't going to happen.  Need to work some negatives into my cashouts.

Squat and The Chief 12-28-08

Week 6 of 1st cycle of CFSB:

Squat

225 x 5

235 x 3

245 x 3

255 x 1 (PR)

265 x 1 (PR)

275 x 1 (PR)

285 x 1 (+ 40lb PR)

See the video HERE.

The Chief

Max rounds in 3 min of:

3 Power Cleans 135lb

6 Pushups

9 Squats 

Rest 1 minute.  Repeat for a total of 5 cycles

1.  5 rounds 

2.  4 rounds 

3.  4 rounds 

4.  1 squat short of 4 rounds 

5.  4 rounds

I'm stoked with my squat PR.  That is a little more then 1.5 times my bodyweight which is a pretty cool benchmark.  2 times my bodyweight is going to take a while to hit.  265 felt good, 275 felt solid, with slower bar speed, 285 was slow and getting a bit sloppy so I stopped there. Can't complain about a 40lb improvement.  300lbs feels within reach now.  Will post a video of it tomorrow.

Shoulder Press 12-26-08

Shoulder Press

95 x 5

105 x 5

115 x 5 (2.5lb PR)

115 went up with good bar speed.  Not as tough as I thought.  Sweet!

10-7-4 

95 lbs - about 1:30 break in between sets.  Meant to have much shorter rest, but had to work it in between my brother and sister-inlaw's metcon.

3 RFT:

400m Run

10 OHS 95lbs

10 box jump 36"

10 bar dips

14:06

1st 4:00 2nd 4:35All 3rd 5:31  

OHS unbroken.  Dips 1st: 5-5, 2nd: 5-5 3rd: 4-2-2-2  All dips were done full ROM without putting my foot down or jumping.  First time I've done that in a metcon, so I'm pretty pleased.  I was on pace with Josh (who did 55lb OHS, and put his foot down on dips) until the last run where I really slogged along at a crawl.

Front Squat and OHS 12-25-08

Front Squat

140 x 5

160 x 5

175 x 5 (PR)

Overhead Squat

95 x 5

115 x 5 (PR)

135 x 3 (Failed on #4)

Somehow that is a OHS PR for reps of 5.  Only because I haven't done these much in the 5 rep scheme.  Called it quits after I failed.  Just wasn't in it mentally.  Definitely had more in me but the weight drifted forward on about half way on the way up and I dropped it.  Weak sauce.

Played with Turkish Get Ups (TGU) for the first time ever.  Started with Kettlebells and did 1 from the floor to standing with both arms. My long term goal is to eventually do a TGU with my wife.  That'll be pretty cool.  I think I'll start practicing on my niece, and see how that works.

TGU

35lb KB x 1 

44lb KB x 1

54lb KB x 1

65lb Barbell x 1 

75lb Barbell x 1 (PR)

Only got 2.5 hours of sleep last night.  Felt kinda crappy and quite under-motivated.  Wasn't feeling a metcon or the high rep backsquats so I nixed them.  Took forever to get warmed up.  Had to do an extra 1000m row and a fair amount of dynamic stretching and air squats to get there.  Far from my best day, but hey, I still PR'd in front squats.  And any day you PR is a great day.

Helen 12-24-08

Helen

3 Rounds for time:

400m Run

21 KB Swings 1.5 Pood

12 Pullups

9:59 (1 min PR)

Huge PR for me!  I recorded the workout in order to show the trainers at Brand X.  I was gunning for sub 10 to earn the privilege of an Underdawg T-Shirt from Brand X.  See the challenge here: http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/1100/  Just barely nailed it!  I thought about having one of my buddies film the run, but they weren't up to following me on the run after just finishing Eva which is a real brute.  That also explains some of the shaking in the video.  Alex couldn't even close his hands into a fist, let alone hold the camera steady.

1st round:   2:45    2nd Round:  3:24   3rd Round:   3:52  All KB Swings were unbroken, 1st and 2nd round Pull-ups unbroken, and 3rd round broken briefly with 7-5.  I tried to rest during the running if that makes any sense.  Didn't feel too much like rest, but allowed me to stay fast on the swings and pu's.  

That's a 1 min PR in the last month.  Very, very cool.  CFSB is awesome.

HERE is the video.

Squat Clean Thruster/Pullups 12-22-08

15 - 12 - 9

Squat Clean Thruster 95lbs

Pullups

7:20

This was a fun one.  I need to do more heavy squat cleans.  I was able to move 95lbs around pretty easily, just a matter of getting winded.  I do so many power cleans, but the full squat cleans are great.  I'm real happy with my time.  I pushed pretty good throughout, having my twin brother hollering at me is a good motivator.  My cousin who lives across the country in Virginia got 8:57 and that was my time to beat.  He was on the phone listening in on speakerphone during the workout, getting a play by play by my older brother.  It was a fun way to do the workout.  All pullups were unbroken.  Squat Clean Thrusters were done mostly as singles with a fairly quick reset each time.  Decided not to deadlift today because the squats yesterday wiped out my low back.  

Squat and Grace 12-21-08

Squat

185 x 20 (PR)  

Grace

30 Power Clean and Push Jerk 135lb 

6:33 (33 sec PR)

A vicious Anti-Gravity storm descended upon my gym today.  I believe it was caused by wearing for the first time my early Christmas gift, a pair of Adidas Ironwork II size 11's.  These puppies are snarky!  They will be replacing my partially chewed by a full grown German Shepherd white leather Dowins.  Much nicer quality, tighter more solid construction and far better looking.  Also the heel isn't as tall.  I really like them. Very pleased with my Grace PR.  Grace has to be one of my favorite WODs.  Killer WOD to do fast and keep good form while the heart is jackhammering and you are panting for breath.  Squats felt good except my low back really got hit hard.  Legs had plenty left in them to push heavier reps or more weight, it was just a matter of my low back getting worn out and tired and screaming as I was panting heavily in the last handful of reps. High rep heavy back squats are awesome!

HERE is the partial video of Grace.

Shoulder Press and Nasty Girls 12-19-08

Shoulder Press

95 x 5

100 x 5

112.5 x 5 (PR)

95 x 12 (PR)

Glad I got the shoulder press x 5 PR.  Slowly inching my way upwards with that lift.  If I can continue to PR 2.5lbs every other week on this lift, then I'll be at 177.5lbs for 5 reps by this time next year.  That puts things in perspective, and would be huge!  Slow and steady wins the race.  

Nasty Girls, Porch Scaling

3 Rounds for time of:

50 Squats

14 Jumping Muscle-ups

115lb Hang Power Cleans, 10 reps

12:19

The dips in the jumping muscle-ups were the main thing to slow me down in this workout.  The dips were also a big reason why I chose to do this workout.  Gotta work on those weaknesses.  Its the crossfit way.

100lb sandbag Front Plank hold - 1:00 (PR)

One armed Snatch with Barbell

45 x 3

55 x 1

65 x 1

75 x 1 - Left Arm PR

85 x 1 (failed 3 times before I got one rep) - Right Arm (PR)  

Didn't even try 85lbs with my left arm.  First time I've played with one armed snatching with a barbell.  Kinda fun.  Really have to get under the bar and make sure your arm is locked out when catching the weight.

Front Squat and Diane 12-18-08

Front Squat

135 x 5

155 x 5

170 x 5 (PR)

Diane (Porchish scaling)

15 - 12 - 9

225lb Deadlift

Hand Stand Pushup bridged to shins

4:52 (PR)

Did the first set of 15 deadlifts unbroken (PR).  

Porch scaling is barrier HSPU's or full HSPU's.  I did the HSPU 1st: 6/9, 2nd: 6/6 3rd: 9 Unbroken.  I tried to get as vertical as possible, but was a bit too on the horizontal plane.  Should have have done them on a higher box, or bridged to feet.  Would have been a little bit harder, but not that much and my time was pretty solid for the first time I've ever done Diane.  I need to get better at HSPU's.  Yet another exercise to continue working into my programming.  

Compare to Diane on 5-11-08 Pack version: 21-15-9 185lb Deads and bridged to feet: 4:58

Fran 12-17-08

Fran

21 - 15 - 9

Thrusters 95lbs

Pullups

5:44 (1:50 PR)

Cashout:  50 Windshield Wipers with 95lb bar

A 1:50 PR!!!  Compare to 7:34 a month ago on 11-12-08.  I'd say that this crossfit strength program is more then working!  What a great day in the gym.  Took a brief rest in the 1st round of thrusters at 13 and 17 while still in the rack position.  Broke pullups 15-6.  2nd round of thrusters broken 8-7 (I think) and pullups 9 - 6.  3rd round of thrusters and pullups unbroken.  Last time I did Fran I did the first set of 21 thrusters unbroken and then 15 pullups.  I think that is a good way to shoot your wod, so I tried to break it up a tad more and take the first round of thrusters at a little slower pace to keep something in the tank for the rest of the workout.  Seems to have worked.  1st round - 1:58 2nd - 4:28.  

I'm stoked with this time!!  45 seconds away from hitting one of my biggest goals.  Who knows?  Maybe in another month I'll break the 5:00 mark.  If I keep progressing as I have been then I'd say thats going to happen.  A portion of this PR comes from getting my metcon back (and then some) after finishing my SS cycle 5 weeks ago.  Combine that with steadily increased strength gains, an increased amount of heavier overhead work in metcons and you've got a winning recipe for taking on the nasty beast of a girl that is Fran.  This programming has been awesome and I've got to give all the credit and props to Jeff Martin of Brand X and his crew of trainers!  Thanks Coach!!  I couldn't be happier with my progress!

Deadlift and HPS/BJ Burps 12-15-08

1 min front Plank with 90lbs of bumpers plates on my back

30 sec side Planks with 25lb sandbag on hip

Deadlift

255 x 5

275 x 5

295 x 5

10 min rest

215 x 20 (PR)

15 min rest

AMRAP:

7 Hang Power Snatch 75lbs

7 Box Jump Burpees - 36" box

5 rounds + HPS + 3 BJ Burps

Deadlifts felt better this week then the prior couple of weeks.  The last few weeks just felt silly heavy.  Like I was getting roughed up and pushed around by the weight.  This week not so bad.  Focused on taking a nice deep breath and setting my core which I think really helped. Those box jumps really take it out of you in a metcon when trying to cycle through them quickly.  Forget about that, I just tried to survive and ground through them. 

Squat, OHS, and Annie 12-14-08

Squat

210 x 3

230 x 3

245 x 3 (PR)

OverHeadSquat

45 x 10

95 x 5

115 x 3

125 x 3

140 x 1

155 x 1 (PR + 10lbs)

160 x 1 (PR + 15lbs)

Annie - 

50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of

Tuckjumps (subbed for Doubleunders)

Situps - frog abmat feet unanchored

9:09

A great day in the gym for OHS.  Felt real good after the squats so I figured I'd throw in some OHS.  I was confident I would PR even though I haven't been working on them.  I think its been the increased overhead work I've been doing.  Still had some left in me too but ran out of time.  Can't really complain about a 15lb PR!  But I'm confident I'll hit 165 the next go around.  I think the back squats warmed me up well for the OHS.  The weak link is still my shoulders, which I'm working on.  Felt real strong in the bottom position.  Getting closer to my goal of OHS my bodyweight.  It is soon going to be an issue of not being able to push jerk the weight over my head in the first place.

The back squats...well the weight went up.  However it was ugly.  I slouched over at the bottom, markedly dropping my chest.  Not good. Pretty sure its a weakness of my core thats causing it.  Need to start working in more core work in my warmups like weighted planks,GHD situps, KNE's and GHD back extensions.  Gotta think hard about whether or not I'm going to go for 250 x 3 next week. Josh thinks I shouldn't.  Maybe I should try for 240 x 5 instead.  I'm not sure because that is still pretty heavy and only 10lbs less, so my 3 and 5 rep numbers are getting real compressed.  The week after that is week six of the program and my single rep max PR attempt.  For that reason I was planning on doing the 3 rep scheme next week as I figured that would prep me better for the single rep max the week afterwards.  Any thoughts?

Annie was a decent workout.  Toughest on the abs.  Didn't feel good enough about my double under skills to do them in this WOD.  They'd slow me down too much and decrease the intensity to an intolerable level.

Shoulder Press and Snatching Fran 12-13-08

Max Box Jump:  44.25"  (PR)   - Could have hit a bit higher, but it was getting pretty hairy.  I stacked bumpers on top of my 20" box jump. So it was 24" of stacked bumper plates.  I think I stacked 4 45's, 4 35's and 1 25lber.  Its not the biggest target to land on top of and even with spotters holding the bumpers its a bit sketchy.

Shoulder Press

95 x 5

100 x 5

110 x 5 (PR)

95 x 11 (PR)

The 110 lbs felt easier today then the 107.5 lbs a week ago.  Probably helped that I stomped on the ground like a bull and got psyched for it.

Sntaching Fran

21 - 15 - 9

Power Snatch 95lbs

Pullups

9:57

That was a fun one.  Cycle rate is definitely slower then with thrusters because my grip was getting hit too hard after lowering the first 7-10 or under control, So I just started dropping the bar from overhead after finishing a rep and having to reset on the bar every time.  Add to that that I stink at snatching and you have the recipe for a slow time.  Some of the ugliest flopping fish out of the water Snatching you ever did see.  Need to get some coaching in order to improve on this lift.

Front Squat and KB Swing/Burpee/Situp 12-11-08

Front Squat

135 x 5

150 x 5

165 x 5 (PR)

Then:

Back Squat 

185 x 15 (PR)

Then:

5 RFT:

10 Kettlebell Swings - 1.5 Pood (53lb)

9 Burpees

8 Ab Mat Situps

7:26 (PR by 23 sec)

All KB Swings and situps were unbroken.  1st round of burpees were unbroken.  2nd 3rd and 4th round burpees were 3-3-3 and 5th round of burpees was 6-4.  Definitely have more left in me in front squats.  But on back squats I don't know, just felt heavy for some reason.  Was planning on a set of 20, but from the beginning just felt like I was getting slapped around.  So had a character fault and dropped it at 15. Still a PR though so it works out.  A day of PR's in fact.  Thats always fun.  

Fight Gone Bad 12-10-08

“Fight Gone Bad!“ - Puppy version:

Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 10 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps) - 29, 25, 25
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 45 pounds (Reps) - 37, 25, 25
Box Jump, 20” box (Reps) - 24, 20, 20
Push-press, 45 pounds (Reps) - 29, 24, 22
Row (Calories) - 17, 12, 18

358

For some reason I decided to do this workout at the puppy level.  I wanted to see how I would compare with my brother and my friend Alex who also did the puppy workout.  Josh got 295 and Alex got 306.  Good job guys.  I figured its good to do some lower weight higher metcon stuff now and then.  Such a tough workout no matter how you cut it.  Compare this to as RX'd at 236.  Would have done this as RX'd, but I need to get a 20lb medicine ball.  

Cashout:  2 sets of 10 Jumping Muscleups and then one muscleup just to remind myself that I can do one.  Tweaked my left shoulder (anterior deltoid) just a bit while doing one of the muscleups.  Hopefully it doesn't stick around very long.  

Deadlift and HSPU/HPS/BJ 12-8-08

Deadlift

255 x 5

275 x 5

290 x 5

AMRAP 10 min:

4 HSPU Bridged to feet (didn't put my hands quite as close to the box as I should have.)

5 Hang Power Snatch 75lbs

6 36" Box Jumps

7 Rounds on the money

I started the 7th round with a minute to go, and pushed hard to hit all 7 rounds.  Other then the last round a pretty uninspired day in the gym. Deadlifts especially so.  But I got the work done.

Was reminded how much I enjoy having someone to workout with.  Its been a while since I worked out alone.  My gratitude to my workout partners!!

Squat and Freddy's Revenge 12-7-08

Squat

205 x 3

225 x 3

240 x 3 (PR) - This is my previous one rep max

The final set was heavy.  Final rep was ugly.  The femur/back angle opened up waay late as I slowly ground it out and stayed horizontal too long.  It went up but it was far from pretty.  Need to be careful there.  I think I held my core fairly tight and didn't roll my shoulders/drop my chest too much, but still, I was nearing injury land.

Freddy's Revenge:

5 RFT

5 Push Jerk - 155lbs (185 as RX'd)

10 Burpees

12:30

First round was 1:00, Done with the third round in 6 something.  Should have scaled down a bit...probably drop the burpees to 7 so I'd have hit a sub 10 min time.  That was not easy.  It was quite rough on the shoulders.

Shoulder Press and Squats/Muscleups 12-5-08

Shoulder Press 

95 x 5

105 x 5

107.5 x 5  -  PR by 2.5lbs. I took the baby step cause its getting real tough. After another 2.5lb step next week, I'll switch to sets of 3.

95 x 9 - Just failed to lock out 10th rep

Almost went with the pack scaled down version on the squats but decided to push the envelope and do the squats as RX'd.  Subbed Jumping Muscle-ups for Muscle-ups:

100 squats
2 Jumping muscle-ups
80 squats
4 Jumping muscle-ups
60 squats
6 Jumping muscle-ups
40 squats
8 Jumping muscle-ups
20 squats
10 Jumping muscle-ups

13:15

Thats the most squats I've ever done in a workout.  I have a feeling I'm going to be more then a little sore for the next two or three days after 300 of those beauties.  In the second round of squats I realized I was in for some misery.  Quads locked up sometime in round 2.  Squats:  1st Rnd 50-15-10-10-15 2nd Rnd 20-20-15-15-10 3rd Rnd 15-15-15-15 4th Rd 20-20 5th Rd 20.  All Jumping Muscle-ups were a breath or three pause at the bottom and go except for the last round which was broken 4-2-2-2.

Front Squats and Grace 12-4-08

Practiced Double Unders for my warmup.  Really haven't done these much at all.  I think I'll keep working on them in my warmup.  13 consecutive Double Unders - PR

Grace - 1st time as RX'd!

30 Power Clean and Push Jerk- 135lbs

7:06

Compared to 4:18 with 115lbs 3 weeks ago.  I'm pretty happy with this time.  Not too shabby for my first go at Grace as Rx'd.  Broke it up as:  10 - 5 - 6 - 4 - 5 though none of them were touch and go.  Dropped it from the top, got in under control a couple breaths and go.  I did Grace before the front squats because I knew the squats weren't going to be too tough and didn't want my time on Grace to suffer because of them.  Weighed myself at 179 today.

Front Squats

135 x 5

145 x 5

160 x 5 (PR)

OHS/Pushup/Box Jump 12-3-08

Almost time to hit the slopes!!!

"You can either live your life like a lamb, or live your life like a lion. We have a choice in life". - Jean-Marc Boivin.. Extreme Skiier, Mountaineer, Paraglider, Parapenter (Photo of Boivin skiing the Matterhorn)

15 - 12 - 9

Overhead Squat 95lbs
Decline Pushup
36" Box Jump


11:42


I did the first round of OHS unbroken. 2nd Rd of OHS 6 and 6, 3rd Rd 6 and 3. When I thought up this workout, I planned on doing ring pushups. I did my first two in the first round and knew that I couldn't cut it for the whole workout. My shoulders were shot from the OHS. Also I think I'm still feeling the pushups from Cindy two days ago. So I quickly adjusted to Decline Pushups with my feet propped up two feet on my tractor tire. It was good to do some bigger box jumps again. Hadn't done them since I was at Brand X back in July. Need to keep working them into the programming.

Forgot to mention I got my Promaxima Squat stands in today. So now I have 2 squat stands (one is a squat rack), 2 Pendlay Bars, and 2 sets of bumpers...I'm ready to start having more races in the gym! Should be good fun to do WOD's side by side and try and beat the guy next to me.


I for one only want lions surrounding me in my gym. How have you been attacking your training? With a roar that shakes the very ground you walk, or with the pathetic bleating bahh of a little lamby? With teeth made for lazily munching some grass or with teeth ground sharp for tearing into flesh and crushing bone to dust? With the weakness of a helpless lamb, or with the strength of might that is a Lion?

Deadlift and Half Cindy 12-1-08

Deadlift

5 x 275

5 x 280

5 x 285

10 min break

Deadlift

20 x 210 (PR)

10 min break

Half Cindy-

As many rounds as possible in 10 min of:

5 Pullups

10 Pushups

15 Squats

9 rounds + 5 Pullups + 6 Pushups

My goal was to hit 10 rounds.  Just missed it.  All pullups and squats were unbroken.  The pushups were the only thing that slowed me down. First 3 rounds of pushups unbroken but by the end rounds I was doing sets of 3's and 2's.  Squats felts strong and quick.

Squat and Double Unders/Power Cleans 11-30-08

Squat 

185 1 x 5

200 1 x 5

215 1 x 5

235 1 x5 (PR)

Then with no rest moved right into:

5 Rounds for time:

10 Double Unders

5 Power Cleans 135lbs

10:22

Very slow time because I suck at Double Unders.  I think I'm ready to do Grace as Rx'd.  The hardest part will be jerking the weight, not cleaning it.  I'm guessing I'd end up with a time just under 10 minutes.  I'll have to try it and see.  Was thinking of doing 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 Double Unders with 5 Power Cleans done after each set of DU's, but that would have taken waaay too long.  I didn't have much time to workout today at all.  Caught some late paper at work.  So I basically rolled out of bed into my lifting shoes and started squatting.  Almost didn't workout because of the time crunch, but I'm glad I forced it in there.  Another PR in my steady march upwards with squats.  Did I mention I suck at DU's?  Note to self:  Don't suck at DU's.  Practice them and get good.

Front Squats and Nate 11-28-08

Front Squat

3 x 5 - 155lbs (PR - also a 1 x 5 PR)

I really haven't worked on Front Squats ever.  The only time I've done them is as a part of a squat clean.  I'm happy to finally be addressing this issue and expect to make some good gains in this lift.  

Nate - Packish scaling

As many rounds possible in 10 min of:

2 Jumping Muscleups
4 Handstand Pushups Bridged on shins
8 Kettlebell Swings 1.5 Pood (54lbs)

1 KB Swing short of 10 Rounds. Would have been 10 rounds, but was slowed down when my brother called my last HSPU. Didn't quite lock out my elbows. Doh!

All HSPU's were unbroken except the last round character flaw. All KB Swings were unbroken. Muscleups were done with a quick one or two breath pause.

That was a fun one. Pack scaling is usually seated muscleups, bridged on feet, and its usually a 15 min scaling, not 10. Supposed to keep the metcon under 10 today so I cut it shorter and kept the intensity high. Did the first round of HSPU's bridged on feet then switched to bridged on shins. A baby step up from bridged on knees. Can't wait till I can do this one as Rx'd.

Cash out:  Spend 2:30 in a handstand feet held by spotter.  Did it in 30 second chuncks.  My shoulders were fried from the HSPU's.

Turkey Bowl 11-27-08

10th annual Turkey Bowl Football game.  

Had a great time on the gridiron today.  I subbed 3 hours of flag football for my metcon day.

We stopped playing tackle a few years ago after someone dislocated a clavicle on a kickoff return.  So what happens this year?  My buddy Dan of thirtyninefiftyone.blogpot.com jacked his clavicle!  Nuts!  Now he can't work until sometime in January.  Sorry Dan.  I feel bad for ya man. On the bright side it will be fun coming up with some one armed and no armed WODs in the meantime.  Get better soon!    

Shoulder Press and Jackie 11-26-08

Shoulder Press

3 x 5 - 105

Jackie
- 

1000 meter Row, 


45 pound Thruster 50 reps

30 Pull-ups

9:22

A pitbull of a workout.  Its rare that I beat Dan, he's a stud.  Probably only beat him because he squatted 3 x 5 225, 10 min before he did Jackie in 10:39.  Tomorrow is the Turkey bowl!  Should be nice and muddy since its raining today.  Can't wait for the 10th annual Turkey day football game!

Deadlift and KB Clean/Tuck Jumps 11-25-08

Was supposed to Deadlift 3 x 3 as well as deadlift a high rep set today.  Started to work into heavier weights, but just wasn't feeling it.  So I cut it down to just the high rep set.

Deadlift

205 x 20 - Unbroken

AMRAP:

10 Tuck Jumps

10 Kettlebell Clean and Press - 1 pood (5 with each arm)

10 Rounds and 10 Tuck Jumps, 3 KB clean and Press.

All unbroken except round 9 of Tuck Jumps was two sets of 5.

Back Squat and Thrusters/Burpees 11-23-08

Back Squat

3 x 5 - 230 (PR.  PR for 1 x 5  also)

Definitely felt heavy but bar speed was slightly faster then two weeks ago when I did 225 3 x 5 (my final SS workout).  Bar looked good with the colored bumpers on it.  I need to get some photos of those puppies on here.  Then did:

5 rounds for time of:

7 Thrusters 115 lbs

7 Burpees

11:22

Those Thrusters sure felt heavy compared to the usual 95 lbers.  Figure this will help my Fran time and any time you do thrusters is a good thing.  I'm going to mix Thrusters in at least once a week in my WODs.  Plan on doing more workouts similar to Fran to keep working on it.  I WILL have a sub 5:00 Fran eventually!  My goal is to hit sub 5 by my one year CrossFit anniversary at the end of Jan.  Gotta shave off 2:34. Doable.  Very doable.

I just realized that I had planned to do ascending sets of 3 x 5 on the squat instead of the same weight straight across for all 3 sets.  I will use ascending sets from now on.  It is much easier on recoverability.   

Elizabeth 11-21-08

Elizabeth (Pack Scaling)

21-15-9

Power Clean 115lb

Bar Dips

8:34

Couldn't hack the Rx'd version of 135lbs and ring dips.   Could barely hack the bar dips.  Ended up putting my foot down on most of the reps to help me out of the bottom a little.  Its pathetic really, how weak on dips I am.  Oh well, onward and upward.  Just need to work on them. Hopefully I'll one day be able to call them a strength and not a weakness.

Karen 11-19-08

Karen - A pack/puppy scaling

150 Wall ball - 10 foot target, 10lb medicine ball

5:57

Should have used a heavier ball, but this was the heaviest I have.  I was able to hold a pretty fast pace and keep the intensity high.

Had three friends over tonight for the workout.  After Karen, for our cashout, we played a game of horse on the rings.  Some of the things we did were:  L pullups, 3 skin the cats/15 second one legged planche/15 second one legged lever/3 skin the cats, 20 ring pushups with good depth, 20 seated muscleups, and all kinds of other very basic gymnast progressions.  Had to cut the game short because it was taking too long for anyone to loose.  Just a little too evenly matched.  I was maybe the worst one there.  Not fun.  Need to work on my ring skills.  

Helen 11-17-08

Helen as Rx'd

3 Rounds for time:

400M Run

21 Kettlebell Swings - 1.5 Pood (53 lbs)

12 Pullups

1st Rd:  2:49

2nd Rd: 6:51

Total:   10:59

I actually meant to do this with my 44lb Kettlebell, so I could get another metcon comparison to the last time I did Helen (also with 44lb KB) in 10:00 minutes.  However I think when I wasn't looking my brother switched it to the 53 lb KB.  I did the first round unbroken.  During the second round, it just felt heavier then it should have.  Did 15 then 6 swings.  When I set down the weight I looked at it and realized it was the 53lber.  No wonder it felt hard, because it was!  This was the first time I've done Helen as Rx'd and I was pretty happy with my time.  All I have to do is take off 59 seconds off my time and I'll qualify for Brand X's underdawg club, and get a T-shirt 

 http://www.crossfitbrandx.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/1100/

Josh had a great day today.  He did Helen with the 35lb KB in 9:40.  That is a 4:28 PR!  Monstrous improvement!

OHS 11-16-08

Used my brand new Pendlay Bar and Wright colored bumpers for the first time!  Very snarky stuff!  The Pendlay economy bar and black Wright bumpers will now take a backseat.

Overhead Squat

95 x 5

115 x 3

125 x 3 (PR)

130 x 3 (PR)

135 x 3 (PR)

140 x 3 (PR)

Was thinking I was going to start a new strength biased Crossfit program today, but decided that taking it easy for a few days might be a good idea.  I kinda fried myself by doing Fran, Grace and Angie right after SS.

Angie 11-14-08

Angie

100 Pullups

100 Pushups

100 Situps (abmat)

100 Air Squats

26:55

I felt super sluggish on everything but the squats.  I was expecting my metcon to be negatively effected by SS, and I think this a good example.

Power Clean & Grace 11-13-08

Power Clean:

95 x 5

115 x 5

135 x 3

145 x 3

155 x 3 (PR)

175 x 1

185 x 1 (PR)

190 x 1 Failed

Grace with 115lbs (Old School style with power cleans and push jerks)

4:18 (PR),  16 seconds improvement compared to 8-24-08

Had a great day of PR's today.  My plan was to do Grace today so I could compare my time today to my pre Starting Strength time like I did with Fran yesterday.  The idea is to compare my metcon status to see how much if any that I've lost.  So far I've PR'd in Grace and Fran.  I need to do a little longer metcon WOD like fight gone bad and see how I score on that.  

I decided to go with my cousin Jerrod's advice tonight and work into some heavier weight with low reps right before the WOD so it would feel super light when I did Grace.  The 3 rep PR is not too impressive because strangely enough, I really haven't worked with 3 reps much at all with power cleans. Definitely shows that I'm no Olympic lifter, just a guy using O-lifts within the confines of CrossFit, much of which has been self programmed.  I could have hit a higher weight with the triple, but then I got it in my head to try for a single rep max.  I might have pushed that strategy a little too far by attempting a single rep max and sapped some strength that would have come in handy during Grace.  I think I could have shaved a few seconds off my time if I hadn't done the single rep max, but not much.  I kept repeating to myself during the workout that I didn't have to stop and rest just because I was out of breathe.  It seemed to work as I felt like I pushed the pace pretty hard and didn't really take any type of real rest.  I did drop the bar from overhead every single rep which caused me to reset on the bar 29 times, so I guess you could say I took 29 mini rests throughout the workout.  Overall  I'm very happy with my performance and the three PR's I put up today.  

Fran 11-12-08

Fran as Rx'd:

7:34 (PR)

25 second PR!!!  I simply cannot believe it.  It doesn't make any sense.  After 6 weeks off of CrossFit, my Fran time improved!?  I'm flabbergasted.  I've got to give props to my buddy Dan who pushed me by insulting my manhood and saying I was doing Fran as Rx'd even though I wanted to do it with 75lbs in order to get a respectable time.  I was just hoping for sub 10 minutes.  I don't know how to explain a PR.

The only thing I can think of is that the difference was in the thrusters.  The bottom of the thruster felt notably stronger then it did before, I'm guessing because of all the back squat workouts (18 to be exact!) I've done in the last month and a half.  

I had 4 guys yelling at me throughout the workout and all were watching my form.  I got called on one bad thruster in the first set at #12 when I didn't lock my elbows out.  This workout absolutely wrecked me.  I worked just as hard on it as any workout I can remember.  I was on the ground floundering like a pathetic little girl afterwards.  It hurt just to breathe.  I'm loving it!  

The End of Starting Strength Cycle 11-12-08

It's time I end this Starting Strength cycle.  I have been following the program religiously in regards to programming (other then the two overly ambitious 10lb deadlift jumps, which resulted in not handling the last deadlift workout with good form...watch the video if you need to), getting every single workout in, drinking a gallon of milk a day, and getting 8 hours of sleep, but I just haven’t been able to put down 7,000 calories a day.  Its been more like 4,000 a day sometimes 5,000.  Rippetoe the creator of the program has said that this is just not enough to bulk up and continue the linear progression as needed. 

The primary reason I went on SS was my goal of bulking up to jump up into a bigger fighter’s weight class or two so to speak and at the same time getting useable strength (a secondary goal).  In the world of fighting whether its the UFC, wrestling, boxing, or a cop fighting somebody jacked up on PCP, the bigger man has an advantage.  Not to mention the possibility of avoiding a fight in the first place with the more intimidating command presence that a bigger cop gives off.  Obviously there are bodybuilding programs out there that I could bulk up on, but thats a bunch of crap as there is little function fitness involved there.  So my primary goal of getting bigger has been compromised (and the strength gains will be diminished as well) because I haven’t been able to eat enough.  Working graveyards as a cop is not conducive to eating truckloads.  There are nights when I go call to call and hardly have time to pop in a cliff bar, forget about putting down the kind of regular, disciplined, large meals that are necessary.  It’s made it not worth it for me to continue.  Let alone the fact of everything I’ve given up with not doing CrossFit.  I’ve argued with myself the entire time I’ve been on this program about why I’m not doing CrossFit.  But I guess I had to run my little experiment, and so here I am.

I’ve been on SS now for 6 weeks.  I gained 15 pounds in the first two weeks, and for the last month haven’t gained anything!  I’m stuck at 183/4 lbs depending on the day.  I haven’t stalled out yet, and thats the only reason I've kept going… because I’m curious to see how much farther I will go until I stall out.  I would have started to PR on Shoulder Press a week from today, PR on Cleans on Friday, and I’m already PR’ing on Squats and Bench.  I’ve put a lot into this and did not want to quit without giving it my entire effort.  Thats not who I am.  But lets face it, to try and gain 30 pounds in 3 months and not as a 16-20 year old kid is a tough goal.  Doable?  Probably.  But very tough, and you HAVE to follow the program verbatim.  Which I haven't been.  7,000 calories is just not happening.  I've tried and tried to keep pounding the food hard and to be aggressive about it, but it just aint happening.  I hate to admit defeat in an area that seemingly just takes a little discipline, but here I am.  And so you know I found without a doubt the hardest part of this program was eating enough.  The only reason I can see to continue is to see how far I can make it before I stall out.  But to the detriment of the rest of my fitness.  So I’m not considering this a full on success, but a partial success.  I’m a bit conflicted about it, but I know that I'm no longer truly following the program as it was designed.  I also know that if I stop SS and get back on X-fit I will definitely still be able to continue to PR on these lifts (and a bunch more for that matter), while at the same time get my metcon back and improve on it.  So CrossFit here I come!

Starting Strength Day 18, 11-10-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 225 lbs (PR.  Also a 1 x 5 PR)

Shoulder Press 3 x 5 - 100 lbs

Power Clean 5 x 3 - 135 lbs

Wow.  Squats felt heavy today.  Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.  Today I was the bug.  

Bar speed was real slow, but I ground them all out.  I'm hoping part of the reason for this was it was just an off day.  Looking forward to hitting it hard on Wed with 230 lbs.

Starting Strength Day 17, 11-7-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 220 (PR)

Bench Press 3 x 5 - 140 (PR)

Deadlift 1 x 5 - 300 

Squats felt heavy today.  Finished all of them, but my form wasn't as tight as it should have been.  I'm confident next week should be doable. It'll be the hardest lifting of my life, but I know the work will get done.  This time next week I'll hit 235 for 3 sets of 5 which will be only 5 lbs short of my 1 rep PR of 240 (as of 5 weeks ago).

My deadlifts aren't where I want them to be.  I've done 315 for 3 sets of 5 before with a slightly rounded back.  After doing SS this long, I really thought at this weight I'd still be pulling with good form.  

Your critique on my form is welcomed.  I'll start:  My back is flattening out waaay too much and dangerously close to rounding if its not already.  This isn't happening from a lack of attempting to keep my lumbar locked tight.  Seems to just be a lack of strength to hold it tight at this weight.  Also on my first rep, I need to start with my butt higher.  My butt rises a couple of inches before the bar is lifted off the ground. I've known that I do that for a month now, so its a little frustrating to still be doing it.  I realize now I should have been recording more often so I could be monitoring it.  Here is the video.  

Starting Strength Day 16, 11-5-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 215 lbs (PR)

Press 3 x 5 - 95 lbs

Power Clean 5 x 3 - 130 lbs

Squats felt pretty good.  Any critiques on my form are welcome.

Starting Strength Day 15, 11-3-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 210 lbs (PR)

Bench Press 3 x 5 - 135 lbs

Deadlift 1 x 5 - 295 lbs

I'm enjoying the fact now that every time I squat it will be a PR until I hit a plateau.  The Squats felt pretty good.  heavy, but good.  It definitely helps to whip myself into a mental frenzy right before each set.  I tried to focus on that and really get psyched up.  I'm now confident I'll get 215 on Wed and 220 on Fri.  Added 10lbs to the deadlift again today to make them tougher like the squats are.  I'm still using a palms toward me grip on both hands to try and build up my grip strength.  I'll continue doing so as long as possible until my grip fails and then I'll switch to an opposing grip so my grip won't keep me from working up into heavy weight.

Starting Strength Day 14, 10-31-08

This marks the end of my first month of Starting Strength.  

Squat 3 x 5 - 205lbs (PR)

Shoulder Press 3 x 5 - 90lbs

Power Clean 5 x 3 - 125lbs

Just for kicks I tried a one armed deadlift at 255lbs and was barely able to pull it to the top.  Using the hook grip was a must.  I wasn't able to budge the weight with a regular grip.  The whole way up my hold on the bar was slipping until it finally just slipped out of my hand. A little questionable whether I fully locked it out at the top before I dropped it because my grip failed, but I think I just got it.  

I weighed 183lbs today.  Thats a 14lb increase from my start of SS 30 days ago.  Not too shabby.  I highly doubt though that I'll be able to reproduce that and have another 14lb weight gain in the next month.  Seems like I've been stuck at the 180-183lb range fluctuating slightly up and down within that range over the last 2 weeks.  I think the key for me to keep gaining weight is the milk and the food.  I've just got to be more aggressive and disciplined about putting food away as though its going out of style.  

I'm happy with my progression with squats.  Thats good because its the foundation of this program.  I felt pretty good today with them.  They are hard now, but doable.  I haven't been worried yet about whether or not I'll be able to finish any of the reps.  I feel as though I'll be able to continue to about 220lbs before I need to reset, but thats just a guess.  My goal is to hit 240lbs 3 x 5 (after resetting) because that was my single rep max when I started.  I may well end up getting past 240.  I don't want to put limits on myself.  I've seen plenty of examples of other guys on SS who weren't brand new lifters when they started SS and have ended up doing their 3 sets of 5 at a higher weight then their previous one rep max.  Only time will tell.  All I can do now is keep marching forward... eating everything in sight, drinking Milk as if its my last day on earth, sleeping like a coma patient and lifting heavy like a Cave Troll on PCP.

Starting Strength Day 13, 10-29-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 200lbs

Bench Press 3 x 5 - 130lbs

Deadlift 1 x 5 - 285lbs

I did a little math and realized I was progressing too slow on the deadlift compared to my squat.  So I added 10lbs to the deadlift instead of the usual 5lbs.  

Then I couldn't resist, so I did:

Deadlift - 625lbs PR!!

Here is the video:

If you've never tried that before, you should.  Lots of fun!  I'll be doing more of the old lifts in the future, especially when I get off this Starting Strength cycle.  This is much more impressive though...for a 1210 lb deadlift, click HERE.

Starting Strength Day 12, 10-27-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 195lbs

Press 3 x 5 - 85lbs

Power Cleans 5 x 3 - 120lbs

Jim, a friend of mine came over and did his first ever CrossFit workout.  He hasn't worked out regularly in a long time, but he did great.  Taught him how to do air squats and then he did a buttercup version of mini Cindy.  Also worked with my brother on his clean technique.  All this I did while I was warming up.  So I started in on my workout and was really encouraged by how lightweight the squats were feeling.  I charged right through all 3 sets of 5 with no problems.  When I was stripping the weight of the bar I realized I had 35's instead of 45's on the bar.  What a brain fart!  So I had just done 3 sets of 5 at 175lbs instead of 195lbs, which is a decent amount of volume and more then a usual warmup.  But I didn't want to let it stop me from continuing to add weight every workout, so I put on the 195lbs and did the 3 sets of 5 like I was supposed to.  It wasn't easy, but I got through it.  At that point I had taken up so much time that I had to rush through the rest of the workout with only 30 seconds of rest in between sets.  Luckily the weight is still light enough that I was able to get away with it.

Lesson learned:  Instructing while attempting your own intense workout does not mix.

Starting Strength Day 11, 10-24-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 190lbs 

Bench Press 3 x 5 - 125lbs

Deadlift 1 x 5 - 275lbs

Starting Strength Day 10, 10-22-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 185lbs 

Press 3 x 5 - 80lbs

Power Cleans 5 x 3 - 115lbs

HERE is video of 2 out of the 3 sets of squats.

Felt good today.  I read a few articles of "Keys to Progress" by John McCallum throughout the day.  I love his writing style.  Such a hilarious guy and has some really classic lines in there about lifting.  If you haven't read it and are doing the Starting Strength thing, look into it.  Its definitely a book about getting big and strong with much more of an emphasis on bodybuilding then I prefer, but is great nonetheless. The book is worth it just for the way he describes big strong guys and the insulting descriptions of skinny little guys who don't train.  Classic stuff.

Starting Strength Day 9, 10-20-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 180lbs

Bench 3 x 5 - 120lbs

Deadlift 1 x 5 - 270lbs

Starting Strength Day 8, 10-17-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 175lbs

Press 3 x 5 - 75lbs

Power Clean 5 x 3 - 110lbs

I weighed 180 lbs this morning before breakfast.  Thats an 11 pound weight gain in 17 days and I haven't even gotten into the heavy weight yet. Still no crazy gut either.  I weighed the same weight about this time last year and the wifey says I have a noticeably smaller gut.

Starting Strength Day 7, 10-15-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 170lbs

Bench 3 x 5 - 115lbs

Deadlift 3 x 5 - 265lbs

Slowly ratcheting the weight up,  In a month and a half I'll be squatting my current one rep max of 240lbs 3 x 5 if I'm able to continue making linear progress, so the baby steps will start kicking in and making a difference before I know it.

Starting Strength Day 6, 10-13-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 165lbs

Press 2 x 5 - 70lbs

Power Cleans - 105lbs

Today marks the end of the second week of SS.  I have gained 6 pounds.  That is weighing myself when I'm at my lightest, after waking up.  So far, not too much of a gut, but I'm still thinking its mostly fat.  Its been tough to continue to eat 5-7,000 calories a day.  It definitely takes a bunch of discipline.  I've got to keep working hard at it.

As I was squatting today I had the thought that it felt like a warmup.  I charged right through them.  I'm thinking I should start getting more aggressive with squat therapy which I learned about at the Level 1 Cert.  It would be cool if I could get rid of my 'butt wink' and end up with a more upright, superior squat at the end of this SS cycle. 

Starting Strength Day 5, 10-10-08

Squat 3 x 5 160lbs

Bench Press 3 x 5  110lbs

Deadlift 1 x 5 260lbs

Easy day.  I'd like to be able to say the only easy day was yesterday.  But thats not the case yet.  Soon enough though.  Soon enough.

Starting Strength Day 4, 10-8-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 155lbs

Press 3 x 5 - 65lbs

Power Clean 5 x 3 - 100lbs

Another easy day.  

Its more then a little frusterating to not be lifting heavy yet. I want to hurry up and lift heavy, but I know thats being greedy, and it makes sense to do it slow. Its just hard to wait and not be pushing the weight yet. I know in another 2 months though I won't be saying the same thing, and in another month I'll be squatting 215lbs 3 x 5. Which will be pretty good considering my max is 240. A month after that of linear progression (if I'm able to keep it up) and I'll be squatting 275lbs 3 x 5. Now that does't really seem possible. I'm guessing I'll stall out before then...but you never know. Time will tell. Its just hard being patient right now. It'll be well worth it if the big gains in muscle mass and strength come. But its so early in the program, that hasn't happened yet. A little more fat has happened though.

Weighed 174lbs in the morning and 176lbs after a meal.

Starting Strength Day 3, 10-6-08

Squat 3 x 5 150lbs

Bench Press 3 x 5  105lbs

Deadlift 1 x 5 255lbs

10-4-08

6,453 Calories

362.6 Fat

476.5 Carbs

344.1 Protein

10-5-08

4,915 Calories

250.1 grams Fat

413.7 grams Carbs

277 grams Protein

I weighed myself with an empty stomach at 172lbs.  Then after I stuffed myself at dinner I weighed 174 lbs.  That is a 5lb increase in 5 days (and 3 workouts)! Must not be muscle and be pretty much all fat, food and water seeing how these workouts haven't been hard yet because its still the start of the program.  I weighed myself on the 6th with an empty stomach and I weighed 172lbs again.

GOMAD!!

If you don't know what GOMAD stands for...YOU SHOULD!

GOMAD = Gallon Of Milk A Day

Its one of the foundations of this program. Not that its for everyone who is doing SS. Not that its for everyone who are doing other programs. Not that its a healthy diet for the rest of your life type of thing. Its for a short season in time. To make you big.

Milk grows baby mammals and makes them big. Real simple. Bears, bulls, tigers....all go from cute and cuddley little guys to big bulky beasts on milk (and a bit of meat doesn't hurt them either). I don't know about you, but I pretty much fall into the baby mammal category. I'm still a novice lifter, maybe an advance novice, but a novice nonetheless. So I will benefit from a program like SS. SS was specifically designed for novices. Its not for the intermediate or advance lifter. They need more complex training programming.

This baby mammal does not. He needs to pick heavy things up, put it on his back and squat it. He needs to pick heavy things off the floor and lift them. He needs to add weight every single workout. And he needs to drink a truckload of milk while eating enough to feed a platoon of starving marines. Plain and simple, right?

It just depends on what your goals are. If you aren't trying to gain mass and get big, then GOMAD is not for you. But a word to the wise...if you are trying to get as stong as possible then you will need to get bigger too. Big muscles move big weight. Small muscles do not. Milk is a key component to growing those muscles. So go out and do your muscles a favor and drown yourself in some milk.

Starting Strength Day 2, 10-3-08

Squat 3 x 5 - 145lbs
Press 3 x 5 - 60lbs
Power Clean 5 x 3 - 95lbs

Its weird to be using so little weight right now. Definitely wanted to and could have used heavier weight. But thats the whole point of linear progression is to slowly, and very consistently build up and up and add more and more weight. Starting heavy and adding weight every single time you lifted simply would not work. But starting light and working your way up to your previous max as you gain weight, and get a foundational volume of work in, will allow you to get stronger and beat your old PR's. So while its a bit of an ego check, and almost feels unambitious to use such light weight in a workout, I'll continue to be ambitious about the big picture and adding 5lbs to every single exercise every blasted workout.

Definitely need to get better with my power clean form. I'm having trouble with closing my hips fully as I shrug and jump the weight up. May need to get some more private coaching and just focus on the clean.

My low back didn't get tired at all like it did on Wed. Maybe I did too much volume when warming up for the squat and the deadlift.

In short...an easy day today.

Today I ate:

6,303 Calories
309.6 grams of fat
604.2 grams of carbs
304.9 grams of protein

Yesterday I ate:

6,301 calories
308.9 grams of fat
523.3 grams of carbs
384.6 grams of protein

Starting Strength Day 1, 10-1-08

Today marks the beginning of a major change to my workout programming. As crazy as it may seem, I'm beginning a Starting Strength(SS) cycle today. I've been planning on this for some time now. The primary reason is I'd really like to put on some muscle mass. I'm 6'1, 169lbs and I'm hoping I can put on a good 20-30lbs in weight in the next handfull of months and then return to crossfit afterwards to trim down the fat and start in again on increasing my work capacity across broad time, and modal domains. My goal is to end up 15-20lbs heavier with the same (or less) bodyfat (I'm at ~13% now) and continue my crossfit career from there. Not because I think the strength gains I'll make will automatically transfer to killing all the WOD's as RX'd, though the increased strength will help especially in heavier WOD's like Linda, the Bear Complex, Lynne, and of course the CFT, but because I want to be bigger. Always have wanted to be bigger then I am. This kind of focus should also give me much stronger hips and midline stabilization, which are the engine and transmission that drives the body. We'll see if it works. I'll be honest that I'm a little concerned that I may be pissing away the next 4 or so months. This is certainly not what Jeff Martin head coach at Brand X would have me do. However other top notch coaches like Mark Rippetoe (obviously) and Greg Everett recommend doing SS and then returning to WOD's afterwards. Its a challenge that I'm stoked about and hopefully I'll come back to Crossfit and get back to a good state of metcon fitness pretty quickly. I already know I'll really miss doing some of the CrossFit WOD's, because I enjoy them so much, but lifting heavy is a ton of fun too!

I don't know how long I'll be doing SS. That depends on how long I can continue linear progression, ie: adding weight to the bar and making progress. It'll also depend on if I decide to reprogram when I do stall out and switch to an advance novice SS program, or intermediate level strength and mass gain program. I'll make those decisions when I encounter them.

I've started a food log on fitday.com in order to track how many calories I'm eating. The goal is to eat a truckload of calories every day during this cycle. The amount of food you eat is what determines if you gain weight and get bigger and your training is what determines if that weight gain is muscle or fat and to what ratio. Also obviously how 'clean' you eat plays a role. When trying for weight gains, SS calls for drinking a gallon of whole milk a day (GOMAD) and getting down somewhere in the range of 4,500-7,000 calories.

I'll be doing the original SS program which looks like this:

Workout A:

3x5 Squat

3x5 Bench Press

1x5 Deadlift

Workout B:

3x5 Squat

3x5 Shoulder Press

5 x 3 Power Cleans

As of today here is what my lifts look like:

Squat: 1 rep max 240lbs, 5 rep max 200lbs...I'll start at 140lbs...Single rep max goal of 300lbs

Deadlift: 1 rep max 355lbs, 5 rep max 315lbs...I'll start at 250lbs....Single rep max goal of 400lbs

Benchpress:  1 rep max 165lbs, 5 rep max 145lbs...I'll start at 100lbs...Single rep max goal of 200lbs

Press: 1 rep max 125lbs, 5 rep max 105lbs...I'll start at 60lbs...Single rep max goal of 140lbs

Power Clean: 1 rep max 180lbs, 5 rep max 150lbs...I'll start at 95lbs....Single rep max goal of 210lbs

I'll be adding 5lbs to each lift every single workout until I need to reset. I'll reset twice and then look at doing the advanced novice program from Rippetoe's book Practical Programming.

If you want to learn more about this program, you can read till your eyes bleed about it HERE.

So today I did:

Squat 5 x 3 - 140lbs

Bench Press 5 x 3 - 100lbs

Deadlift 5 x 1 - 250lbs

Ate 5,114 Calories....216grams of fat.....479grams of Carbs.....322grams of protein

% of Calories:

	Fat   ( 38 %)		Carbs   ( 37 %)
	Protein   ( 26 %)

9 Hours of sleep

The first day went well. I enjoyed going shopping today and buying 4 gallons of whole milk as well as a bunch of other food. The lifting wasn't too bad at all. Did feel my low back though...Just got a little tired by the time I did the work set of the deadlift.

Level 1 Cert Day 2 !!! & Hill Run, Med Ball Cleans, Pullups

Wearing a sand colored t-shirt in the top right corner just below the tallest guy in the photo who is wearing a black t-shirt....Yours truly.

2nd and final day of the Level 1 Cert.  I just wish there was a day 3, 4 and 5.  I could go all week!  

So today we had lectures on technique, nutrition, midline stabalization, and programming.  There were lectures, demonstrations and skill work for the following movements:  Glute Ham Developer hip extensions, GHD back extensions, GHD situps, kipping pullups, muscleups, rowing, snatching.

The workout today was:

~400M Hill Run

3 Rounds of:  15 Medicine Ball Clean 20lbs, 15 Pullups

~400M Hill Run

10:22

I was the 17th fastest out of the 50-60 Cert attendees.  Top 3rd, which isn't too bad, but plenty of room for improvement.  The fastest time in the class was 7:47.  The same athlete got 409 on FGB yesterday.  Sorry, but I can't help but be over-competitive and care too much about things like that.  It's just the way I operate.

I'll leave you with the highlights that I walked away from this weekend with.  These are words of wisdom.  Words to live by:

Your hips are the engine, and the spine/torso is the transmission for producing power with your body.  

The ability to stabilize the core is the secret to being a firebreather of an athlete.

Food is fuel that runs the machine (your body).

The food you put in your mouth will determine how you feel for the next 4-6 hours.

The 23 - 1   Rule:

Your workout takes about 1 hour of your day.  This puts in perspective how important the other 23 hours are.  What you do with the other 23 hours in your day provides a huge opportunity to do harm or good for your fitness level.  Therefore what fuel you spend your time consuming and how much sleep you get in that 23 hours is hugely important!

Badasses are on a zone paleo diet.

If it won't go bad, rot, or die, then don't eat it.

Never have a meal larger then 5 blocks and never go more then 5 hours without eating.

Fixing a glaring deficiency (weakness), is better for your fitness then just working on your strengths.

Work on your weaknesses!

Force x Distance % time = Power  ......   Power  =  Intensity

If you don't push to new levels of intensity you will NOT grow.

Intensity is where the good shit is!

Functional Movement is moving Large Loads Long Distances Quickly.

Increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains.

CrossFit is ultimately attempting to attain increased capacity/ability in life outside the gym.

Level 1 Cert !!! & Fight Gone Bad

My first Level 1 Certification.  Much needed since I'm a PT Instructor at the Police Academy now,  I probably ought to be legit about it. Heck I say its great as a garage gym CrossFit commoner to get to a Cert or 5 immediately if not sooner.  In that sense I should have gone to this Cert months ago!  

We had a ton of quality info shoveled at us today, all of which I soaked up as I scribbled notes furiously.  Much was review due to my reading of the CrossFit Journal (HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended if you don't subscribe yet!), but it was presented very well by some top notch Instructors highlighted by Adrian Bozman and Jon Gilson; two of my FAVORITE CrossFit blog/article authors.  We covered 9 of the foundational movements of CrossFit in lecture, demonstration, and practice:  the air squat, front squat, overhead squat, press, push press, push jerk, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and clean.  It was outstanding to get such close coaching attention in so many lifts.  I was loving it.  Then it was time for some fun: 

Fight Gone Bad

3 Rounds of 1 min of each exercise and 1 min rest in between rounds

1. Wall-ball, 8 ft target (Reps) 24, 11, 10
2. Sumo Deadlift high-pull 75lbs (Reps) 18, 15, 13 
3. Box jump (Reps) 26, 14, 14
4. Push-press 75lbs (Reps) 27, 17, 11
5. Row (Calories) 14, 9, 13

Total:  236

What a doosey.  As if I needed to mention it to anyone who has done this WOD before, you know its a real beastie.  And today it was especially beastly.  That's what happens when you have 5 CrossFit Headquarters Level 1 Cert Trainers pouncing on any form of weakness, driving you onward through the misery that is intensity.  And I don't mean the stuffed animal kind of beast. This WOD was the teeth ground sharp, eyes glowing red, hiding under your bed, deep dark evilness that roams in the realm of your nightmares kind.  But I digress.  It was hard.  And that is good.  This was the first time I've done FGB as RX'd.  The medicine ball I have only weighs 10lbs, so that is the scaled down version I've been doing the last couple of times.  So me and the wall ball didn't get along so well, since this was twice as hard as I've ever done before.  But I sure did enjoy it because I was working out with ~60 other Cert attendees amidst a cacophony of screamed encouragement.  I'd love to workout in that environment daily.

Then to top off the day, after I got home, I had the opportunity to introduce CrossFit to my identical twin brother.  I taught him the air squat and shoulder press.  It was great to regurgitate a bunch of info I had just gotten on the movements at the cert which helped me remember it that much more. He did well for his first time and then rounded off the night with a max deadhang pullup effort of 9 pullups.  Not bad for someone who hasn't been working out at all, and has been known to define elite fitness as endurance runners (don't blame him, he was brainwashed as a HS and college track and cross country runner).  I was proud of how well he did picking up the movements.  We'll continue working on some more of the foundational movements and nailing down some benchmarks of his fitness so we can have something to work off and have a starting point for creating goals as we move forward.

Pretty snarky stuff!

So now its off to hold down my cot before the second day of the Cert!