Fitness Is...

Vision.

Have the right one.

Everybody has a vision of himself.  From successful businessman to roadside beggar, we all see ourselves in a certain light, on a path towards something greater.  It fuels our preparation, motivates our effort, and sustains our will to succeed.  Whether or not we manifest success depends on 2 things.  First, we must craft a vision that is in keeping with the laws of the real world and the instincts we were born with.  Envisioning yourself as something you are fundamentally not will get you nowhere.  Second, we have to act according to our vision and deliver when necessary.  The guy you see peddling change at the corner probably didn’t envision himself begging for food when he was in high school, but a series of events led him to his new reality because he was unable to act against them.

There is no difference when it comes to fitness: the first step in achieving anything of value is having a realistic vision of what you want to become.  Now, ordinarily I am pretty open-minded when it comes to goals and aspirations—what an individual deems valuable is his/her business—but not in this instance.  I truly believe there is a right and a wrong vision to have when it comes to fitness.  You are not a photograph, therefore your fitness cannot be measured by color, shading, or relative beauty.  You are not a checkbook, therefore your fitness cannot be valued by how much money you spend or save.  And you are not a facebook account, so your fitness cannot be measured by how many friends you have.  The only thing that matters when it comes to fitness is your ability to physically thrive.  If your vision is rooted in anything other than this you are missing out on the better you, if not completely wasting your time.  Regardless of your age, gender, or current level of capacity, you must see yourself running, jumping, lifting, climbing, swimming, throwing, flipping, riding, and crushing your way through any obstacle nature dares offer.  Imagine smelling the air at 10,000 feet, tasting the waters of the Meditteranean, and feeling your feet carry you where no automobile ever could.  It feels good because, deep down, there is a bond between every living creature and his environment that must be kept strong.  To ignore this urge is to deny the real you.

But look around the world and you’ll see plenty of denial.  People have grown so obsessed with looking fit that most have forgotten what it’s like to actually be fit.  This is what I mean by an unrealistic vision.  For hundreds of thousands of years humans have been hunting, gathering, running, climbing, and fighting their way to survival.  It’s only in the last 10,000 years that we’ve grown our own food, and only in the last 300 that we’ve lazily passed that burden on to machines.  The simple fact is that your body was designed to be truly fit… it wants to be out there fighting to survive, not posing in the mirror and measuring carbs.

Think about this: our most basic instincts are that of survival and procreation, both of which used to be contested in nature through physical means.  While we may not recognize it, these instincts are still the bedrock of our every conscious action.  Our jobs, our schools, our family dynamics, they’re all social evolutions of the human need to survive and procreate.  The only difference now is that we’ve effectively removed the physical requirement from the equation.  Imagine 10,000 years ago instead of hunters fighting over a carcass, they sat down and divided the meat based on their investment portfolios.  Or when competing over a female they laid down their clubs and compared six packs.  Ridiculous, right?  But that is the vision civilization is cramming down your throat and your body doesn’t know what to make of it. 

The point is, just because we’ve evolved as a society does not mean we’ve evolved as a species.  Take away the technology and the higher learning and we are the same hunting/gathering humans we used to be.  We need food, shelter, and sleep.  We need companionship.  That is all.  The question we must ask is why our vision of fitness doesn’t reflect this.  Rather than defining ourselves as physical beings with physical needs in an increasingly non-physical world, we allow the non-physical world to dictate to us a new and superficial normal.  Our visions for ourselves become that of slender mother, tanned entrepreneur, or yoked policeman.  It’s pathetic.  Worse, it’s unnatural.   

 

True fitness only comes when you satisfy your body’s physical need to meet its instinctual demands.  Anything short of this will ring hollow.  You aren’t a mother trying to lose baby weight, you’re an adventure seeker who can’t wait to share the world with her child. Your job doesn’t provide safety and security for your family, you do—by being physically capable of performing it day after day after day.  You don’t train at 6am so you can look good in your uniform, you do it so that when a criminal decides to turn on you it’s the worst decision he’s ever made. These are visions crafted in keeping with the instincts we were born with, so they sync well with our psyche and are easy to sustain if followed through.

Which brings me to the second point: A vision without action is worthless.  This should go without saying, but it probably accounts for 90% of the failed fitness experiments out there.  Tell me if this sounds familiar…

You’ve recognized the futility of trying to look like a magazine cover and are ready to reclaim your place on the fitness map.  You read an article about CrossFit and decide you like the idea of training for capacity rather than looks, for survival rather than for show.  You walk into your local box and go through their onramp sequence and you love it.  Straight up LOVE IT.  You feel challenged, supported, and, better yet, alive.  Something sings inside of you so deep and so loud that you know it’s right.  This is the feeling you’ve been searching for.

Fast forward 2 months and your body is starting to change.  You’re stronger than you’ve ever been, more conditioned than you’ve ever been, and your friends start to notice you getting leaner.  You see a new member struggling through onramp and assure him it gets better.  You feel fulfilled. 

Fast forward 4 months and your progress is slowing.  You’re being asked to cover more hours at work and your schedule is filling up with kids’ soccer practices and birthday parties.  You make it to the gym a couple times a week at best.  You feel annoyed.

Fast forward 6 months and you’re back where you started.  Your strength is gone, your stamina is gone, and you step in the gym for the first time in months to discover the new member you gave advice to is running circles around your tired ass.  You feel depressed. 

Now comes the important part.  How do you react?  Do you look back on that year and sigh, “What a waste,” or do you look at it and say, “I missed so many opportunities to get better… that won’t happen again.”  The main difference between beggar and CEO isn’t that one was given all the breaks, it’s that one took advantage of all the breaks he was given.  No matter how tough your schedule is at work or how demanding your home life gets, there is always a way to keep training.  Do burpees on the soccer field, handstands in your office, and sprints up the stairs.  If you sprain your ankle, become an expert at pullups.  If you tweak your shoulder, it’s time to squat and deadlift.  Manifesting your fitness vision does not require ideal conditions, it requires regularity.  Make it a mandatory part of your life and you will never be weak, you will never be overwrought, and you will never feel disconnected. 

But we’re not all there yet, and I recognize that.  Distilling desires and dreams down to a simple, elemental vision takes time and practice.  You’re going to oscillate, get it wrong, and reform from time to time.  You’re going to get confused.  That’s all well and good so long as you’re not straying too far from the foundation.  Remember that you’re hard wired for a physical existence and that you have to seek it daily.  I cringe when I ask people about their ideal vision and they say, “I can’t wait to retire.” Or, “I want to just kick back and relax.”  You might as well be saying, “I’m ready to die,” because that’s what your body is going to hear. 

Try this instead: wake up eager, push your limits, and be a beast. 

AWF 2014 - New Zealand

We got some exciting news on the horizon... the first Anywherefit trip for 2014 is confirmed for New Zealand from January 31st through February 11th!!!  Very excited to announce this because NZ is one of those places that everyone raves about.  The trip will last 12 days and cover a lot of territory, including 3 days in Queenstown, a glacier hike, kayaking, and surfing.  Of course, there will be plenty of creative crossfit as well.  Check out the itinerary below for more details and booking information.  $350 non-refundable deposit will hold your place.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ew0pk4fozqwk1w6/AnywhereFit_NZ.pdf

Santa Cruz Weekend

This past weekend I hit the boardwalk with Jenn and our friends from CF 209 Sport in Stockton.  It's been at least 10 years since I've been to this Northern California landmark, and it brought back some great memories.  The best part was that not much had changed.  The Giant Dipper is still screaming along, the log ride is still soaking passengers, and the carnival style food still smells just as good as it did in my youth.  During the day we played a pretty solid game of 4 on 4 football in which I felt fast, strong, and well conditioned.  It's nice when training translates to real life.

Jenn and I also created a mini WOD on the beach using a climbing rope I had in the trunk and an empty garbage can.  We filled the can about a third of the way with sand so it wouldn't tip over, then wrapped the rope around the base.  For 10 minutes we proceeded to pull the trash can in like an anchor, do 10 squat jumps, and then walking lunge the rope back out to the start position.  More than anything this torched the lower back and hamstrings.  Maneuvering and trying to get footing in the deep sand is always challenging.

During the evenings we took it easy and Gabe and Kirstie's beach house, telling stories and drinking beers.  All in all it was a great weekend away from the regular pace of life.

Attached is a video of the workout.  Had a little fun with the X Ray filter...

S.F. Urban Hike 2013

Saturday brought with it the much anticipated Urban Hike 2.0.  It'd been just under 2 years since Clint and I last took a group on the 7 mile trek from Stern Grove to the Marina, but all the landmarks felt fresh in my mind as we passed them.  The main difference this time around was that instead of having 12 or 15 people with us, now we were leading a crew of close to 40.  It was quite a sight watching that type of mob running up Twin Peaks, or crossing the street in the Haight, and traversing the network of logs in the Presidio.  But at the end of the day "the more the merrier" never proved more true.

The hike began, as I said, at Stern Grove Park in the Sunset District.  From there we wove our way along Portola and up to the base of Twin Peaks.  At this point everyone was good and warmed up (the majority of the walk was uphill) so we started running.  The first 1/2 - 3/4 mile of the run up Twin Peaks is paved, then it transitions to dirt trail and steepens dramatically for the final 1/4 mile.  This is a serious leg burner and a challenge to convince the body to keep running instead of slowing to a walk.  Once at the top we paused for pictures and to catch our breath before heading down the back side towards Bueno Vista.

During this stretch we did some up and down stairs bear crawling, some log squatting, and a little freestyle object climbing.  No organized WODs, just having fun interacting with whatever we came across.

At this point we were at the halfway point of the hike and in the famed Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Just as we did 2 years ago, we stopped in at Martin Mack's for lunch.  This turned into a 2 hour long, jukebox infused, beer-laden intermission that I won't soon forget.  We literally took over this place, and if the day had ended here it would have been enough.

But we had another 3-4 miles to go, so we made our way back to the street and up through Presidio Heights.  There were a few impressive feats accomplished along the way, including John's incredible handstand walk up a narrow cement retaining wall alongside a church.  How he did this after our lunch break I will never know.

Eventually we made it to the Presidio and the welcome scent of Eucalyptus trees.  We wove our way through the network of fallen trunks and decided to take a quick break at the new CF San Francisco location just south of the Bay.  It's a whole new world down there since they moved out of the parking lot, let me tell you.  Very cool space with vaulted rafters and a series of sliding doors along the street.  When we got there, some members were hosting a small powerlifting competition, so we stuck around for a short while to observe and cheer them on.  But the end was in sight and we had to move on.

For the home stretch, we walked past the Palace of Fine Arts and into the Marina District, settling at Monahan's for beers and dinner.  All in all, a perfect kinda day.  There were some tough physical tests, some light-hearted breaks in the action, and a ton of like-minded people bent on enjoying themselves outdoors.  For an inside look at the hike, check out the video below, courtesy of Clint and Village Fitness Fair Oaks.

435# Back Squat PR!!!

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD

3 mile Air Dyne
Prasara Yoga - Tumbleweed Flow

SKILL

500 double unders for time

STRENGTH

Establish 1 RM Back Squat
Deadlift for speed 7 x 3

ACCESSORY

3 rounds for completion:
12 walking lunges (185#)
6 atlas stones to shoulder (150#)
20 meter lateral sandbag drag (150#)

Made my way to a new back squat PR!!!  Pretty excited about it, needless to say.  And I really almost had 445#, just got a little ground up in the sticking point and couldn't pull out of it.  The rest of the session was a blur, but the combination of walking lunges, atlas stones, and sandbag drags definitely lit up my posterior chain.  Wouldn't be surprised if I'm walking like a gorilla after all this.  Probably going to take it easy tomorrow instead of training because on the weekend we're heading to San Francisco for an urban hike.  Gotta be ready for anything :-)

245# snatch + OH Squat

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD
1 mile run
Diving Dolphin Flow

STRENGTH
E2MOTM for 20 minutes:
1 Full Snatch + 1 OH Squat

ACCESSORY
3 rounds for completion:
20 ring dips
5 snatch grip deadlifts
20 toes to bar

After taking a day to rest and re-gather after a horrible training day monday, wednesday proved much more fruitful.  I decided to train alone today, in the gym, with all the lights out.  3:00 in the afternoon is about the deadest time of day at CF Anywhere Roseville, so I knew I wouldn't have much in the way of distraction.  The atmosphere took me back to my days in the Netherlands where I was secluded in my own little section of the gym apart from all the meatheads and rack chasers.

Starting out the weights felt decent, but not great.  I could tell I had some work to do to get my timing back.  But as the weights got heavier I got more confident.  I made 225# on the first attempt.  Missed 235#.  Got 235#.  Then I surprised myself by sticking 245# on my first attempt.  The weight felt super heavy off the ground but I had great speed getting under it. After this I made 3 attempts at 255# but never succeeded, always leaving it just a hair forward.  The biggest takeaway was that I have been snatching a lot at the 225# level and felt really comfortable there.  Not so much at the heavier weights and I could tell.  Will be changing that.

I read an article by Coach Rippetoe last week highlighting the importance of systemic overload.  The idea is that unless you're loading the bar with enough weight to stress the entire system, you're not going to get systemically stronger.  I like the idea of this because it is simple and it encourages lifting heavy.  As I was doing my snatch attempts at 255# I could feel my system adapting to the weight with each successive rep.  It's almost as if the body needs to learn how to lift a certain weight before it can actually lift it.

Going for a Back Squat 1RM tomorrow.

Down Day

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD
2000 meter row
Scorpion Flow

SKILL PRACTICE
5 rounds for completion:
1 Muscle Up + HSPU
30 unbroken double unders

STRENGTH
Floor Press 5 x 3 with 3 second eccentric (100-120% 1RM)
EMOTM for 10 minutes:
Front Squat + Split Jerk

ACCESSORY
3 rounds for completion:
20 GHD situps
200 meter front rack carry
20 ring rows

Kind of a dogshit training day all around.  I was excited about the program coming in, and after a weekend like the one I had in Shelter Cove I felt like momentum was high.  But my left shoulder felt a little tweaked before I got started preventing me from doing more than 2 sets of the floor press.  That was a bummer.  And then my whole body felt weak during the front squat + split jerk, capping my weight at 265#.  That was a major bummer since I'd felt so great on jerks the week before.  Anyways, just chalk it up to being one of those days and move on I guess.  The accessory work was challenging mentally and I got through it all unbroken, so that's a plus.  Just hoping that the res of the week will be better.

Shelter Cove Weekend

It's been 2 years, but I finally made it back to Shelter Cove.  I had many fond memories of the Lost Coast from 2011 and I'm happy to report that not much has changed.  Part of the allure of places like this is that they rarely change.  The same jagged cliffs, the same salty locals, the same wind beaten coastline.  There is an appeal in timelessness, especially when comparing the present to a memory.  I like it when I return to the scene of a great memory and find it unperturbed.




During this trip I managed to knock out a few cool workouts, one on the 4th of July and the other a few days later.  They went as follows:

WOD 1 - 4th of July

Hang Snatch in sand 1RM

3 rounds for time:
12 snatch deadlifts (115#)
9 power snatches
6 oh squats
200 meter sand shuttle

WOD 2 - 6th of July

10 minute AMRAP:
10 sandbag ground to shoulder (80#)
10 meter sandbag squat jumps
10 sandbag shoulder to overhead
10 meter sandbag squat jumps

Lugging equipment to remote locations is usually a pain in the ass, but because Shelter Cove allows trucks on the beach it wasn't much of a hassle on the 4th.  Clint, Jenn, and I pulled the barbels out early and turned a few heads while we started warming up.  Doing hang snatches in the sand is VERY difficult when the weight gets heavy.  I've never really felt how important it is to push through the ground as when I started trying to move heavy weight and my feet began sinking into the sand.  Because of this I was only able to get up to 205# for my top lift.  I will say that the absence of traction allowed you to dive under the bar faster than usual, so the sand seems to be a good training modality for speed.

The complex following the snatches was awesome.  Running along the water, snapping the bar up out of the sand... it was everything I love about training outside with and indoor implement (the bar) thrown in.  I didn't get a time on the workout but I felt strong.  If I had to guess I'd say 6 to 7 minutes.

On our way out of town we snuck down to Black Sand Beach with a sandbag and burned through the above workout before cramming into the car.  Black Sand is known for its deep, pebbly sand and it's empty shores.  Every time I've been there I'm left in awe of its beauty.  Now I will have another memory to go with that: horrible, horrible sandbag squat jumps.  These sucked the life out of me.  Not a commonly used exercise because of the heavy impact on the lower joints, sandbag squat jumps in sand were absolutely murderous.  You quickly learn the technique of sliding into the deep sand as you land to minimize the impact, but there's no way to avoid the pain in your legs.  Top notch training, go give it a shot.

I've included some video clips of what went on so those of you out there who've never made it to the Lost Coast will have a better idea of what you're missing.  Enjoy.

Monster Swim WOD with Gabe and Kirstie

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD
Pigeon to Pigeon transitions, 10 minutes practice

SKILL WOD
EMOTM for 10 minutes -
:10 one arm handstand hold (wall assist)
3 squat snatches @ 135#

STRENGTH
Deadlift 7 x 3 with bands
Back Squat 5RM
3 rounds for completion:
10 bent row
15 reverse hyper
10 glute ham raise

CONDITIONING
For time:
1000 m swim
300 m farmers walk (53# kbs)
100 m handstand walk

Definitely didn't have the same kinda juice I had yesterday, but I was treated to the company of Gabe Subry and Kirstie Arnaz.  So at least I had that to lift my spirits.  Don't get to see these guys enough so it's always special when they come to town.

I actually handled the skill workout alright, making every round unbroken, but I will say that holding yourself on one hand is A LOT harder than on two.  Just the residual taxation in my shoulders was much worse than I anticipated.  I guess I expected to be able to lock out and kind of chill for the 10 seconds... not the case at all.  This required a lot of concentration and effort to keep from tipping over or crashing down.

I did my lifting down at Super Training with the usual suspects, plus Gabe and Kirstie.  It was their first time down to train with Mark, so I'm hoping they're hooked and will come more.  Again, I didn't feel as great as I have, but still managed to get 385# for 4 hard reps on the back squat.  Pretty happy with that. The accessory stuff I was wasted on, only getting 5-6 reps on the glute ham raises each time through.  My posterior chain pretty much had it.

Good news was that there wasn't much posterior chain needed for the conditioning WOD later that evening.  The three of us grabbed some KBs and headed out to the lake for some true endurance training.  We targeted the farthest buoy (500 meters according to the lifeguard) and set out into the open water.  This felt amazing.  I'm not sure I've ever felt more relaxed in the water, and I'm sure a lot of this had to do with the temperature.  The water couldn't have been colder than 75 degrees, making things a lot more comfortable than usual lake swims.  I made it around the buoy and back to shore in around 18 minutes and immediately started up the hill with the kbs.  Gabe and Kirstie were just a few minutes behind me.

All went well until I tried to kick up into a handstand.  Nothing.  I tried again.  Shorted it.  My arms were toast and my midline was gone... I knew then it was going to be a looong 100 meters.  Luckily things started to get better in the middle, but it still took me quite awhile to make it to the end, with my finishing time stopping at 28:40.  We managed to snag a few short video clips from one of our coaches.  Check them out below.

108 degrees

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD
1 mile run
Crow Evolution Flow

SKILL WOD
5 rounds for completion:
Parallel bar shoulder swings
5 ring swings

STRENGTH
Floor Press 10 x 1
Split Jerk 1 EMOTM for 10 minutes

3 rounds for completion:
200 meter overhead carry (135#)
20 toes to bar
10 thick bar curls

Completely draining day today in the heat.  Summer is definitely here and we're all just gonna have to train through it.

Top to bottom I dominated today... but that's kind of the way it goes when you're fresh off a rest week. I was able to make it all the way through the Prasara Yoga flow programmed today, which was not something I expected after watching the a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVJ0-guYL-s">video.
 The P bar and ring swings felt great as well.
Then I started working my way up in weight for the floor presses and for the 3rd or 4th week session in a row set a PR.  333#, and it felt solid.  I tried 343# but didn't really have a chance.  Next time.

More of the same during the split jerks, as I worked up from 245# all the way to 315#.  That tied a PR for jerks from the front rack, and I think I had more.  Over the next 3 weeks I'm going to try to push this lift as close to 350# as I can.

Afterwards I headed down to Rainbow bridge and soaked in the American River for a solid 20 minutes.  Denny and Rob came with me, so we swam across the river and found some cliffs to jump off.  By the time we got back to the cars I felt amazing and ready for a nap.  Which I took.

Hitting Super Training and an outdoor WOD tomorrow with good buddy Gabe Subry from 209 Sport. Looki
ng forward to it!

225# Hang Snatches

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD

1 mile run
10 minutes practicing plow transitions

STRENGTH

Hang Snatch + Full Snatch 10 x 1
20 back squats (235#) + 20 overhead squats (175#) for time
30 perfect hang cleans @ 205#

Snuck this session in on a Sunday before Father's Day, mostly to practice snatches.  After not feeling great last week, I was pretty solid today.  Made it up to 225# and successfully hang snatched it three times, only to miss all three of the full snatches that followed.  All of these sets were done without a reset, so tap and go from hang to full.  I found that this really encouraged me not to think about the lift and just explode with everything I had.

The squats felt equally good, if not better.  I added 10# from last week and did it 10 seconds faster... go figure.  All 40 reps in 2:49.  More of the same on the hang cleans.  Instead of sets of 4, I did sets of 5 and felt like the weight was flying up.  Going to add weight to 215# next week and hopefully keep getting stronger.

Only one rest day before heading back down to Super Training, better be a good one.

Elbow Levers and more

Workout of the Day

PRE WOD
2000 meter row
Elbow Lever Progressions

SKILL WOD
10 minute AMRAP for proficiency:
30 unbroken double unders
1 turkish getup each arm

STRENGTH
Floor Press 5 x 3 w/ pause
Push Jerk x 3 EMOTM for 10 minutes
3 rounds for completion:
100 meter waiter walk each arm
1:00 battling ropes
10 thick bar curls

Surprisingly didn't feel any massive soreness from the muscle ups and pullups in a weight vest yesterday.  I did, however, feel a little tender in my lower joints from running in the vest.  Enough for me to bag off the 4 mile run I had planned for later this evening.  Always let the body be the boss when it comes to it's joints.

The coolest part of today's training was the elbow lever progressions we did before getting started.  Everyone has really been enjoying the Tacfit progressions, and this one was no exception.  Actually much easier than it looks, going through this progression step by step was a great way to learn the basics of this skill.  As usual with things that look like circus acts, so much of this was about finding the right balance point.  Strength is a pre-requisite, of course, but it doesn't take a ridiculous amount to be able to do this lever.  After a few minutes of trying and practicing, most of us were getting close to success.  Another great example of training the brain to learn new things apart from the intensity of a workout.  You can't tell me this type of balancing won't translate to other types.

Following this we hit the skill WOD (I actually used a 50# slamball for the TGUs) and then the strength.  With Ben Alderman there pushing me, I got up to 305# for 2 1/2 reps with a pause at the bottom.  Not bad for a skinny white boy.  We did the jerks at 205#, no problems there, and the assistance sequence was great.  Really like the waiters walk as a substitute for more standard overhead carries.  Unilateral training doesn't rear it's head enough.

"McClusky"

Workout of the Day

"McClusky"

3 rounds for time in a 20# vest:
9 muscle ups
15 burpee pullups
21 pullups
800 meter run

So... today was supposed to be my rest day, but my friend and fellow sadist Brian McIntyre has been unsuccessfully inviting me to hit a hero WOD with him for well over a year now.  Not that I have anything against hero WODs, I actually really like them.  Just, for one reason or another, I keep dodging them whenever he brings it up.  So finally I decided enough was enough, and I hit this one with him today.

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't as bad as I expected.  I never missed any reps, and the hardest part was the running.  For the muscle ups I did sets of 3 the entire way, for the burpee pull-ups I picked a steady unbroken pace, and for the pullups I did sets of 7.  I never really felt in danger of bonking until the final 800 meters when I dialed myself up to full speed.  If done right, I think most hero WODs should feel this way.  They're more about pacing, consistency, and mental toughness than they are about speed.  So although I'm sure I will feel the weighted muscle ups and pullups in the morning, I don't think my body will be too destroyed from today's lack of rest.  My time was 24:15.

To limit the damage, I took a 10 minute soak in the American River (temperature hovering around 60 degrees) and then grabbed a massage.  The 10 minutes I spent submerged in the water felt so natural and relaxing I can't even tell you.  This should be a regular practice for anyone with access to fresh flowing reservoirs of water.

Blasted

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

PRE WOD
1 mile run
10 minutes scorpion transition practice

STRENGTH
Back Squat 5 x 5 with 3 second pause
Sumo Deadlift 10 x 1 from elevation

3 rounds for completion:
6 unbroken squat cleans @ BW + 10#
6 atlas stones to shoulder @ 165#
10 Glute Ham raises

WOD 2 - in the evening...

CONDITIONING
21-15-9
KB swing (32 kg)
Burpee over box (24")

After a nice weekend of recovery, today came hard and fast.  The strength portion of the workout was challenging but fun, the most difficult part being the squat cleans/atlas stone combination.  I had worked up to 300# for my top set of 5 pause squats and 475# for my top sumo DL, but none of that felt as painful as the assistance exercises.  I firmly believe that while doing the major lifts is non-negotiable, Crossfitters benefit hugely from picking the right accessory work to follow them.  Being able to apply strength in different manners and variations is what keeps us progressing.  Getting strong in specific movements is great, but it's not enough.  The truly fit are strong regardless of the implement.  Training a wide variety in the form of supplemental exercises is a great way to accomplish this.

The evening conditioning WOD almost didn't happen for me.  I'd been battling a headache for most of the afternoon and it didn't subside until during the final class of the day at the gym.  Thankfully I jumped in at the last second with a few guys and got this thing done in 4:30.  I was happy with my engine towards the end of the workout--I was able to accelerate through my final 9 burpees, sprinting to the finish rather than crawling.  This also leads me to believe I may have been able to push the pace on the burpees a little sooner, but who knows.  Overall, I was happy with that time.

Going a little off script and hitting a hero WOD tomorrow with my friend and glutten for punishment Brian McIntyre.  "McClusky" here we come.

Squeezing it in before Icehouse

Workout of the Day

10 minutes to establish 1RM snatch

5 minute to complete:
20 back squats @ 1RM snatch
20 oh squats @ 75% 1RM snatch

Perform 30 perfect hang power cleans

For day 3 of my training cycle I had to hustle in to the gym early.  A group of us were heading up the hill for a camping trip so I knew I wasn't going to be able to lift otherwise.  Overall, the session was decent.  The snatches definitely weren't going up easy, but I held myself to the 10 minute cap.  My top weight was 225#... could've used another 10 minutes to keep warming up I think.  Still, if I can always snatch 225# when I need to I'll be happy.

Taking that weight and doing the squat portion of the WOD was a lot of fun.  The goal was to finish both sets as fast as possible (back squat at 225#, oh squat @ 165#).  I did the first portion unbroken, quickly stripped the weights, and knocked out 12 on the second.  I tried to force myself to keep the break small before finishing the final 8, but at this point my legs were getting the wobble.  I managed to make it through in a total time of 2:59.  And I'm soooo sore from it!!  Crazy how such a small amount of work can crush you if you're not used to it.  Definitely a cool sequence to try if you're bored of your regular lifting routine.

Once up at the lake, it felt like everything in the world faded away.  I was on the boat wake surfing, in the middle of the lake swimming, and doing morning yoga on the shore.  The group that came up was all about playing cornhole and horseshoes, cooking amazing food, and enjoying the stars.  Not that any of this is surprising or newsworthy, just a pleasant reminder of how fun it is to disconnect from the urban landscape.

Got a big week coming up with a lot of tough workouts.  Looking forward to sharing it.

330# Floor Press

Workout of the Day

WARM UP
2000 meter row for completion
10 minutes Half Crow progression

SKILL
EMOTM for 10 minutes:
5 c2b pullups
10 meter handstand walk

STRENGTH
10 x 1 Floor Press
EMOTM for 10 minutes:
5 unbroken push jerks @ 185#
3 rounds for completion:
10 axel presses (110#)
20 ring dips
40 hollow rocks

Continuing to get stronger on floor press, go figure.  Can't quite figure out why but I love it!!  Got all the way through 330# without a miss and the heavier weights just don't feel as heavy as they used to out of the rack.  305#, 315#... they feel like foregone conclusions.

Air dyne, box jumps, and muscle ups... oh my!

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

1 mile run
10 minutes pigeon to pigeon transitions as seen here
Accumulate the following:
2 minutes in bottom of front squat
2 minutes in free handstand
2 minutes in L sit

WOD 2 - in the afternoon at Super Training...

3RM Box Squat
8 x 1 squat clean w/ 5 second pause
3 rounds for completion:
10 bent row
12 reverse hyper
1:00 plank w/ chains
10 glute ham raises

WOD 3 - in the evening...

12 minute AMRAP:
1 mile air dyne
50 box jumps
30 muscle ups

Today was Day 1 of the new training cycle, so of course the load is pretty substantial.  But it felt great today.  My box squats were solid up to 380#, squat cleans felt fine at 240#, and all the assistance work during the afternoon session sucked as usual...  Thanks Mark Bell.

Something I'm making a more diligent effort to include is the Prasara yoga flows put out by Tacfit.  If you don't know these guys, they're a cool group that meshes yoga with jiujitsu to form a ton of great mobility resources.  So often I feel that crossfit ignores non-linear movement patterns that are so useful in daily life... this is a way to bridge that gap without taking too much time away from strength and conditioning.  I'm making all our competitors practice this stuff in our pre-WOD sessions, so we'll see if it helps limit injury and mobilize training.

But without doubt the coup de gras of today was the conditioning session.  A variation of Open WOD 13.3, this was primarily a muscle up test.  When tired, how efficiently can you move through 30 muscle ups.  And if you do, can you give yourself enough time and save enough energy to get back on the bike.  I was very happy with my technique and work capacity on the rings (these just keep getting better and better), finishing my 30 at the 9:30 mark.  That gave me a little less than 2:30 to peddle the bike to the finish.  Sadly, I made it to .95 miles before time ran out.  SO CLOSE!!!

Post Regionals Swim WOD

Workout of the Day

For completion:
300 yard open water swim
300 yard overhead yolk carry

Still digesting the past weekend at the NorCal Regionals and hopefully will have some time this weekend to put down some thoughts on what it was like being on a team, where I see the sport headed, and what I'm looking forward to in the coming year.  In the meantime, enjoy the video of this workout I did with Denny out at the lake.

2013 European Regional Begins!!!

Today is the first day of the 2013 Regionals and it started in Europe, a place near and dear to my heart. I have a lot of close friends competing in both the individual and team competitions this year, and I want to send them all my best wishes and hope they perform to their potential.  From Iceland to Italy, Europe is filled with incredible athletes and a CrossFit culture that grows stronger every year.  I can't wait to see who will represent the Region this year in Carson.

I couldn't help but reminisce, having participated in the 2010 Europe Regional while in school abroad.  Some great and painful memories of that weekend, none more so than the final WOD showdown between myself and Sven.  5 rounds for time of 5 deadlifts and 20 burpees over the bar.  It was a brutal test to finish with that I still haven't forgiven Mads for programming.  I attached the video from that final WOD 3 years ago below.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!

Weekend Fatigue

Workout of the Day

WOD 1 - in the morning...

For time:
30 wall balls
30 c2b pullups
30 pistols
30 DB snatch (70#)

WOD 2 - in the evening...

7 minutes burpee muscle ups in team of 3

Had a bit of a down day today, mostly due to the long weekend.  After hitting the workouts in East Sac on Saturday, I made the rounds from birthday pool party to birthday pool party, drinking plenty of adult beverages in the process.  Then Jenn and I headed down to Napa for the last day of Bottle Rock on Sunday, where we spent the day in the heat watching bands from Cake to Zac Brown.  Not making it back home until after midnight, I didn't have much energy to train this morning.  But by the time Ben Alderman cam up to work on the 100's Regional WOD around 12:00 I was feeling a little more energy.  I decided to hit the team version of the workout alongside him and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it felt.  Besides losing my rhythm on the c2b pullups at 18, everything went unbroken and I finished in 4:25.

Later on this evening Denny, Casey, and I took another practice run at the team muscle up WOD to get more reps in.  Nothing too special on this one, other than sighting the rings on the way up from the burpee seems to help a lot.  Tomorrow I'm planning on doing the rope climb/squat clean workout after squats and deads at Super Training, hopefully the body is feeling better by then.