Lactate Training

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

4 minute AMRAP: 5 Toes to Bar 10 Ball Sprawls

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

4 minute AMRAP: Picnic bench Prowler Push 10 pushups 10 situps

Before leaving Scottsdale I did a short AMRAP at the all new, still being unwrapped Optimum Performance Training Center. Both WODs today were based on an idea that James and company are pursuing through their testing of CrossFit athletes: Lactate training. The basic premise is that the chemical by-product of the glycolitic pathway (lactate) is a very potent and useable fuel source that most people don’t properly train themselves to use. It only gets used at near 100% effort during constantly high turnover or high power activities. That means that you can’t train it during intervals, or while you are pacing a WOD at sub-maximal effort. It’s also most effectively trained between the 4-8 minute time domain. Learning these facts was eye-opening for me because those are exactly the types of WODs that I feel weakest in. So, after some coaching on how best to structure this type of training I wrote a plan on how to work it in to my current program.

Going forward I think this will become easier to organize (Max deadlifting has left me a bit sore), but I have to say the initial attempts at this went really well. To keep this effective you have to keep the pace VERY high, to the point that it’s more important to alter the rep scheme mid-WOD than it is to complete all reps and risk muscle fatigue slowing you down. Kind of a novel approach—target the response rather than the work. The response is an almost numbing sensation where you lose a little of your connection to the tasks being done. All you’re thinking about is moving as fast as you can. James describes this as an almost spiritual experience, and he’s right. It’s like nitric oxide for your muscles. The problem with this is that you can’t dip into it too often. Like a type II diabetic that can no longer produce insulin in response to high blood sugar, someone who constantly “goes there” will lose the ability to utilize lactate as a viable fuel source over time. Therefore it’s important to stagger these sessions in the course of a day and then give yourself a good week off in between. Training this way will allow your body to learn to use lactate without burning out.

In Scottsdale - PR Deadlift!

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Work up to a 1RM deadlift. Rest 10 minutes then do AMRAP @ 85% of that 1RM.

3 x 10 Barbell walking lunges (205#)

3 x 18 foot L-sit rope climb

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

4 mile trail run

5 rounds for completion: 5 wall walks & 10 box jumps

After a quick early morning flight I am here in Scottsdale with James Fitzgerald at the new home of Optimum Performance Training. The work being done here, and the implications it has for CrossFit and fitness in general for the future, is staggering. These guys are looking at everything from blood lactate to psychology, measuring and recording every bit of data possible that could lead to a more comprehensive picture of what it takes to optimize human performance. The possibilities are exciting to say the least; the science is kind of mind-blowing. My opinions and methodology are rooted mostly in experience and instinct, so to discuss them with minds that have such a thorough and accurate understanding of how the body works is really cool. Thankfully for my own sanity, the training template I’ve recently employed has been received positively by the guys down here, though Im hoping to learn new ways to tweak and improve.

While here I’m taking part in some general testing that will help build a database of information from which to draw conclusions. The deadlifting today was an example of one of these tests. It was exciting for me because I hit a 20# PR in the movement, lifting 475# for my top set. The AMRAP set at 405# only lasted 4 reps unfortunately… was feeling pretty smoked by then.

After grabbing some food I got the opportunity to go explore a bit of the Sonoran Preserve in North Scottsdale. This is a small mountain range rising above the desert that is dotted with trails, cactus, and views that are breath taking. I did a moderate intensity run to one of the peaks for the view, then took my time getting down before tackling a bodyweight WOD at the bottom. It was a great way to unwind the day and try to flush out the legs and back from the heavy work earlier on.

Training Resumed

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Iso Position Handstand Holds

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

Clean and Jerk 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Front Squat 5 every minute on the minute @ 70% 1RM until failure to complete. 10 minute maximum.

Apologies for the recent lack of posting. After the Wales trip I’ve been on a serious rest week and been preoccupied with a few other projects. There is plenty more to come on the Anywherefit Wales trip, so stay tuned for that, but for now just a minor update on training.

A few members of my gym joined me in Fairfield for the Capoot Memorial partner WOD challenge on Saturday, a day that has left me pretty damn sore. My arms, back, and hamstrings are all smoked, and I felt it during the lifting session today. Was only able to get 275# for a single on the C&J. Pissed me off a bit, actually. But some days just aren’t your best and you gotta deal with it accordingly. I squatted decently- 225# for all 10 minutes, but I’m looking to build on this number big time over the course of the next 3 weeks. The OC Throwdown is coming up in January and the competition looks awesome. Looking forward to training against some other Gamers outside of the Games.

Speaking of Gamers, I’m planning a trip to visit the original Fittest Man on Earth, James Fitzgerald, at his new facility in Scottsdale, AZ in just a matter of days. How sick is that???

Wales and Dragon CrossFit

Workout of the Day

Weighted Chin Up 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

With a 2 minute timecap, complete the following for max lunges:

7 muscle ups

AMRAP overhead lunges (55#)

Rest 2 minutes and complete 4 rounds

I’m in Wales bitches!!! Eating Welsh stuff, getting soaked to the skin by the driving rain, and training at Dragon CrossFit in Cardiff. After a break of dawn arrival at Heathrow International where I was greeted by good friends Ross and Dan of Icelandic cinematographic fame, I spent most of the day getting acquainted with the venues which we will use for the Anywherefit adventure on Sunday. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that this thing is going to be far more epic than I first imagined. Those of you out there who are planning on joining us, come ready for a day of mixed modalities, harsh elements, and unreal scenery. We will lift, run, carry, and climb our way through Wales and towards a deadman’s slumber that night, this I promise you.

As for tonight’s workout, Andy and the kind gents at Dragon CrossFit opened their doors and took on the above WOD with me. As an interval, I expected this to be a middle of the row type workout, mostly targeting the upper body. It turned out to be a bit more difficult than that and the limiting factor was my legs! Either I’m still a bit worn out from the travelling or my legs don’t have quite the pop I’d hoped they would. Probably a bit of both. Either way I managed the muscle ups pretty well considering, making all 7 the first 3 rounds and 5+2 the final. My lunge totals were 57, 45, 40, and 34, respectively, for a total of 176.

Loved the feel of this gym and the people in it. Looking forward to getting back there Saturday for some technical skill practice before embarking on the big day Sunday.

From the Archive: 20 burpee wall climbs for time

Here's a video of a burpee wall climb face off I had with Gabe Subry last week in Stockton. Thanks for posting this Gabe, can't wait to come back down. To check out more on Gabe's training, go here.

240# Snatch

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Slow strength handstand pushups 5 x 5 (wall-facing)

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

Snatch 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

1 Back Squat every minute on the minute @ 90% 1RM until failure tom complete. 10 minute cap.

Pegboard, 5 ascents

WOD 3 – in the evening…

500 meter row for time

5 rounds of:

10 ring dips

20 hollow rocks

PR Day!!!!! It’s been a very long while since I loaded up the bar and went for a record on snatch, so needless to say I was excited about today. Also a little curious to see if my method of training has produced any tangible results. My report is this: weight feels light when you’re used to lifting a lot of it. I pr’d my snatch by 5.5 lbs today, moving up to 240.5. So pumped about this I can’t contain myself. Then I did my emotm back squat set at 403#, 20 lbs over what my current max dictates. This can only mean one thing: my back squat max has gone up. Not sure when I will test this next, but I’m hoping for something in the neighborhood of 440-450#.

Everything else I did today was merely a shadow compared to the strength session. Tomorrow I am off to Wales to rejoin my good friends Ross and Dan for a weekend of exploration and fitness in the UK. On the docket are the dunes along the coast, the confines of Dragon CrossFit, and an empty 70,000 seat stadium. SICK is an understatement.

Anywherefit 2012 Update: Price set at $2500.00

Rope Climb/KB couplet

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Isometric ring handstand holds – 3 positions

Isometric wall handstand holds – 3 positions

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

Snatch Balance 3, 3, 3, 2, 2

Push Press 7, 7, 7

Pegboard Ascent x 3

WOD 3 – in the evening…

For Time:

21, 15, 9 kb swing (32 kg) 3, 2, 1 rope climb (20 ft)

Not nearly as sore after the squat work this week as last… crediting my trip to cryotherapy on Monday after the WOD with some of that relief. Also, getting back in the groove of training after a few weeks off can take a few sessions. Today was very productive during the skill and conditioning portions, but a bit lax in the afternoon. I didn’t really like the plan I had for the day and it showed. Committing to whatever it is you’re working on is so important to doing it well. The shitty program done phenomenal is always better than the phenomenal program done shitty. Today was a bit of both.

The evening WOD was a great test. At the Games this past year I felt like I paced myself too much on the rope climb clean and jerk event, so tonight I really tried to push my pace. The kb swings were unbroken all the way and my rest intervals were very short for the climbs. The only hiccup was during the last rope climb, my arms pumping out a few feet from the top. I had to switch to a leg lock and take the weight off my hands for 5-10 seconds in order to regain the strength to finish it off. Still, I think if I had done this better any improvement on my time of 3:20 would be marginal at best. Not much left in the tank afterwards.

Looking forward to a big night’s sleep and hopefully an outdoor WOD this Friday. The weather’s been a little tougher to work with the last week or so, but I’m itching to get back outside. Also, if anyone out there is in the Bay Area this weekend, a group of us is doing an urban hike from Stern Grove to the Presidio. Plan is to meet around 8am at Stern Grove and go from there. Join in if you’re up for it.

Rest Day

Tabata Farmers Carries

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Back Lever Practice 20 minutes

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

Snatch 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

3 Back Squats every minute on the minute until failure to complete @ 80% 1RM. 10 minute cap.

Eccentric parallette HSPU 3 x 5

Abmat situps 3 x 20

WOD 3 – in the evening…

Tabata farmers carry for distance (53# kbs)

Low volume day today, but high intensity. The back lever is a skill I am only able to stick intermittently, so today was an attempt to solidify and improve that ability. Most of my reps were done with bent knees just so I could get more of them done. I also didn’t want to be so spent that it affected the afternoon lifting. I managed to hit 215# for a double, then 225# for a single. Missed the second but felt good about how the weight felt. Next week I’m expecting a PR on my singles.

The conditioning session was short and sharp… 4 minutes of tabata farmers carries with 53# kbs. This was great and simple. Because you get to set the weight down every 20 seconds, your grip recovers enough to never have to drop the kbs during the runs. My legs and heartrate were as taxed as my grip and that’s rarely the case with this exercise. My total distance covered was 482 meters.

Run the Mountain

Workout of the Day

Hill Run.

After spending the holiday with my family up in North Tahoe, I took this morning to try and burn off a bit of the decadence we’d indulged in the past few days. From highway 267 to the gates of the new Ritz Carlton atop the Northstar gondola is a no joke climb that was close to 3 miles. The challenge on this run was all about getting enough air. The elevation was way above 6000 feet so every bit of the hill made it hard to breath and get oxygen to the muscles. And not having done a big hill in a while, I could feel the difference. It took me 24:26 to finish the climb.

Rest Day

Back in Action

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

3 position isometric handstand holds

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

Snatch 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

5 Back Squats every minute on the minute @ 70% 1RM for 10 minutes or failure to complete

WOD 3 – in the evening…

1:00 max double unders 1:00 max pullups

2:00 rest

Repeat 3x for max repetitions

So it’s been a full 2 weeks since the last time I trained seriously… I was all set to come back a week ago Friday in preparation for the Level 10 throwdown this past weekend when I pulled a muscle in my back doing pistol squats, of all things. I’ve since been told that this was most likely the result of an overly tight psoas being forced into flexion. All I know is that I heard the thing pop and I was on my back immobilized. This remained the case for most of the next two days as I iced and pounded anti-inflammatories. Finally things began to relax and they’ve been getting steadily better ever since. Needless to say I missed the throwdown and have been twittling my thumbs trying not to do anything stupid. That all ended today.

I felt my way through the snatches to make sure everything was moving correctly. It was. I wore a belt to be safe and actually snatched really well. My top set of triples went up clean at 215#, giving me a big burst of confidence going into the squat sequence. This I approached a little more cautiously, using 65% rather than 70% of my 1RM. I made all the lifts easily, but my legs felt the effects nonetheless. Even after an immediate ice bath I expect major soreness from this protocol yet again.

The evening conditioning WOD offered a return to interval training. Max double unders followed by max pullups, each within a 1 minute cap. The doubles felt amazing, scoring 107, 108, and 107 respectively for each round. The pullups weren’t quite so consistent, as the cumulative pump from the early sets took their toll by the end: 34, 33, and 24.

All in all, very satisfied with today and can’t wait til my next session Wednesday. Reminder for everyone interested in the Wales weekend next month: your contact is Ross Coughlan

Spontaneous Anywherefit Event!

It's in the UK and happening in less than a month. If you're in the neighborhood, come out and join the party...

Anywherefit Iceland 2012 Announcement

Here it is... the dates and preliminary information for Anywherefit Iceland 2012. To reserve a place, contact me at morrison.blair@gmail.com

Run the Mountain

A few of us headed up to South Lake Tahoe for a trail run Saturday... turned out to be a little snowier than expected!!! 2 miles uphill in 6 inches of snow is a different type of run, let me tell you. Totally cool experience and a beautiful view at the top though.

Between the altitude and the snow I think this type of thing is incredible training. Those of you out there complaining about cold weather climates... come off it and take advantage!!

Front Rack Carries

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Isometric handstand holds

5 minute alternating Turkish Getups (35#)

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

Split Jerks 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

3 rounds for time:

20 meter front rack carry (315#)

60 foot pulley hoist (105#)

WOD 3 – in the evening…

“Death by ball slams” @ 40#

Awesome training day. Hit 305# on the jerks and made 23 rounds + 18 reps on the ball slams with a 40# ball. Exhausted but stoked about how the body is feeling overall. Travis from East Sac came over to do the strength session--been really awesome training with him these past 6 weeks. We both felt that walking with heavy weight in a racked position would be a great assistance exercise for jerks. It was. Don't think I've seen this done before, but it's very similar to a yoke carry. I like this version personally because the object I want to feel lighter when I'm squatting or jerking is a barbell. Finding a way to balance it and keep it secure while moving was a challenge in itself. Then backing it up with pulley hoists mad things even more saucy because your grip gets shot. Check the video below.

Hope Valley

This Saturday I'm heading to Hope Valley in Northern California. Just East of South Lake Tahoe, Hope Valley offers some of the best Autumn foliage in this area. The WOD is a trail run from bottom to top --approximately 2 miles of steady grade terrain through an alpine forest of aspens and firs that I will run for time. Anybody who lives in this area is welcome to join. The plan is to meet at CF Anywhere in Folsom at 9 am and carpool up together. If you're coming from somewhere else, that should put us near the trail head around 11:00. Shoot me an email at morrison.blair@gmail.com if you'd like to join.

100# Tabata Sled Pulls

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 – in the morning…

Unbroken double under ladder 10, 20, 30… etc

WOD 2 – in the afternoon…

1 Squat Clean every minute on the minute @ 95% 1RM until failure to complete. 20 minute cap.

10 minute AMRAP: 10 x 1 arm sled row 10 ring dips

WOD 3 – in the evening…

In a 5 level parking garage do the following until reaching the top:

100 lb sled drag, 10 seconds Pushups, 10 seconds

Rest, 10 seconds

The body is still pretty beat up from Saturday’s activities, the most destructive of which were the GHD situps. My hip flexors and abs are absolutely shredded, leading me to two conclusions. 1) I overdid it doing 100 repetitions. 2) I don’t do this exercise enough if I am this sore from it. Local muscular endurance is something that doesn’t get trained specifically in crossfit, but inadvertently gets covered for the most part. This part of my body has obviously slipped through the cracks.

In spite of my soreness, however, I had a hell of a training day. I made it 8 double unders shy of the round of 80 this morning, resting less than 10 seconds between. The goal here is to get to 100 in less than 5 minutes. Great way to practice this skill if you’re one of those athletes who struggles with the jump rope.

This afternoon I hit 275# for all 20 minutes on squat cleans. Ecstatic with this showing. The weight felt lighter than it ever has, to the point where no rep was really in question. This is proof positive in my eyes that the every minute on the minute stuff works. Following up the squat cycles with a clean cycle only consolidated the gains previously made.

Finally, the evening conditioning offered one of those rare trips into hazy-ville that crossfitters so often muse about. I was a pile of shit at the end of this thing, no joke. Dragging a sled is hard enough… put it on an incline and add pushups and you’re entering a whole new world of pain. It took me 6:40 to get to the top of the 5 story parking structure in old Folsom, or 13 Tabata rounds. Max heart rate? Check. Muscle failure? Check. Mental toughness? Check. All around kick ass WOD, definitely recommend trying it.

Barcelona Archive