Almost Time

Saturday is almost here. I can smell it. Competition. Its what drives me when I go to the weight room, on the diamond, in the classroom, and even a friendly game of horseshoes. Like many of you interested in sports its usually the competitiveness that's drives you to win. AND WIN EVERY TIME! "Win or go home," this is the saying in today's society when it comes to sports. It has been ingrained into us since day one. Its what makes us better than everyone else, the willingness never to give up no matter how far you're head.
I admit it, I love winning. Not saying am a sorry loser but a loss only drives me that much harder the next time. Without competition, I believe that this world would be very dull. Sports, wouldn't exist. People would fight to be the best. Advancements in pretty much any aspect of life would have never been found. This doesn't just go for the sports world its involves the corporate world as well. We need "period", end of story.
One more thing I really don't care for in this day and age. When parents tells their kids that, "Its not about winning or losing, its whether or not you had fun." What couldn't be more fun than winning. I mean seriously, getting beat or losing isn't that much fun in my opinion. But enough said on this issue. more to come in the future.

Saturday is the Life AsRx Open Crossfit Competition in Hartford, CT. That I'm competing in. Should be a wild time. Another insane competition going on this same weekend is the 2011 Reebok Crossfit Game. This event has come so far from when Crossfit first started out.  Good Luck to all the athletes competing.

WOKROUT 7/27/2011

Strength
Romanian Dead-lift
5-5-5-3-1 (185, 225, 315, 365, 405)

MET-CON
9, 7, 5 reps
- Dead-lift @ 225
- Push Press @ 95lbs

5 min break

3 Rounds As fast as Possible
- 10 toes to bar
- 10 Kettlebell Swings - used 2 35lb kettlebells
- 40yd Overhead Carry - 35lb KB in each hand

PERSONAL
NOTE: foot still messed up hopefully it will be good for the weekend. Been icing 6 times a day or as often as I can. Still going to try and push through it. Other than the foot, body feels ready. Lets kick some ass. Tomorrow going to do some skill work, gymnastics and a ton of mobility. Friday is a travel day along with some more mobility work and preparation for the competition.

Push and Pull

Today's workout consisted of a Met-Con with a little strength after. On another note me and the crew added one more person to our lift sessions. His name is D, one of the MCC coaches, and has never done Crossfit before so we'll have to ease him into it. But its always nice to add more people to the workout. Also a great opportunity to do more coaching.
Here's the Workout:

Met-con
4 Rounds
- 10 Squat Jumps
- 8 Ring Dips
- 8 Ring Back Pulls
- 50 Double Unders
- 8 Alternating Incline DB Bench Press - 60lbs
- 8 Alternating DB Row - 60lbs

Workout #2
Floor Press - 5x5 - 135lbs, 185lbs x 3, 205lbs (failed)
2 Position Snatch - 3x2 @ 135lbs
Snatch Push Press - 3x5 @ 95lbs

PERSONAL
Hours of Sleep: 7.5
Nutrition: Fasted before the lift and started taking BCAA's before the lift. I feel great, I think I'm going to continue it this whole week to see how I feel and if I can shed a few pounds.
NOTE: Foot is still killing me but only hurts when I rotate on it. It didn't hurt during the double unders or the squat jumps. Hopefully it can heal before next weekend. The met-con was good I sucked on the incline press but there is always room for improvement. I'll keep see ya tomorrow, Cheers!

20 Round WOD

Today was one of the longer WOD's I've done in a while a whole 20 rounds worth. Another change to this workout was a did a strength piece right after the Met-Con workout. I decided to do this because being able to have max strength while fatigued. This will help me perform better in competition if I have to do multiple workouts in one day. Which I'll definitely be fatigued in the upcoming competition.

WORKOUT
Workout #1
20 Rounds
-3 HSPU
-6 Single Leg Overhead Squats - 45lbs - 3 each leg
- 9 Dumbbell Swings - 70lbs
5 min break
Snatch Pulls - 3x3 - 205lbs

Workout #2
2 Rounds
- 25 sit-ups
- 10 Toes to Bar
- 1 min Plank
- 15 Back Extensions
- 30 L-sit hold

PERSONAL
Weight: 186lbs
Hours of Sleep: 8
NOTE: For the first workout I had to use a bench for the single leg due to the inability to keep the bar from falling forward which would make the single leg OHS impossible. Need to work on shoulder mobility just a little more. Update still no pizza consumption still and half way through the month of July. Keep on trucking. Hurt my foot during softball. I thinking its a mid-foot sprain and nothing worse only hurts when hitting and rotating my back foot. So I'll have to ice like crazy and start some sort a rehab for it. Not going to let it effect my workouts. Hopefully! So i have decided that I need to lose 10 lbs before the competition on July 29-30. We'll see how that works out. But Until then, Cheers!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Sorry for the lack of updates this past week. Its been pretty busy with work, softball and of course lifting heavy weights. No Pizza is still full throttle and I'm growing stronger. I haven't even thought about grabbing a slice or crushing a whole pie yet. And I mean "Yet." More to come on that later. Lets take a look at what went down this week. Also this week started incorporating the concept 2 rower into more Met-cons which I'm starting to like more and more. I hated doing it at first but its not that bad once you start getting the hang of it.

MONDAY's Workout
Front Squat - Find 2RM - 225, 245, 255, 265*

1000m Row
50 Thrusters - 45lb
40 Hand Release Push-ups
30 Kettlebell Swings - 45lbs
20 Burpees
10 Pull-ups
1000m Row

TUESDAY's Workout
MET-CON # 1
21 Pull-ups
21 Handstand Push-ups
18 Pull-ups
18 HSPU
15 Pull-ups
15 HSPU
12 Pull-ups
12 HSPU
9 Pull-ups
9 HSPU
6 Pull-ups
6 HSPU
3 Pull-ups
3 HSPU

4MINUTE REST

MET-CON #2
4 Rounds
15 Shoulder Press - 75lbs
15 Burpees
15 Med-Ball Slams
40m Farmer Walk - 35lbs each

WEDNESDAY
Active recovery AKA Softball Game

THURSDAY's Workout
Row - 1250m x 3 - 4:58, 4:38, 4:33 - Rested 2:30 in between

Glute Hams Raises - 3 x 8
GHD Sit-ups - 3x12
Overhead Lunges - 35lb KB in each hand - 2x16
Wide Stance Goodmornings - 95lbs - 2x10

PERSONAL
Nutrition: POOR All WEEK. Disappointed in that but need to get back to it
NOTE: Right foot has been giving me some problem in the morning and sometimes after softball games. May be due to the hard field we play on for softball. We'll see how it feels after the weekend. Headed to Vermont this weekend which should be a great time of fishing and relaxing. Going to do some swimming workouts in the open water which should be fun. Haven't tried that in a while. But I won't be back until Sunday so stay tune.

Another Successful Weekend

Another successful weekend of NO pizza. Its been pretty hard but I have successfully gone 2 weekend without the consumption of pizza.
Sorry for not posting Friday or Saturday but I did get in workouts on both days. I took Sunday off as an active recovery day to allow my body to rest up for the upcoming week.

FRIDAY's WORKOUT
4 Rounds:
155lb Dead-lift - 12 reps
155lb Hang Clean - 9 reps
155lb Push Jerk - 6 reps

Row - 1 mile

SATURDAY's WORKOUT
21, 15, 9
- Handstand Push-ups
- Ring Push-ups
- Back Extensions

PERSONAL
Wieght: 183lbs
NOTE: I am really weak on the handstand push-ups going to start incorporating more body weight exercises into the training protocol.

Dynamic Lower Body

Today I withheld from any Met-con work and will do two on them tomorrow when I have access to more equipment. Sometimes it gets hard having limited resources at home. I have been working over the year to accumulate as much equipment as possible but with limited money supply and not staying in one spot for long its hard to keep a hold of anything. So today was more a dynamic lower body day involving bands and explosive power.

WORKOUT
Low Box Squat w/ Bands - 10x2 @185lbs with 200lbs of band tension.
Snatch Push Press - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 @ 95, 115, 135, 155, 175 respectively.
3Rounds for Quality
 - 20 Weight sit-up @25lbs using the Abmat
 - 10 Band Good Mornings w/ green Band

PERSONAL
Hours of Sleep: 7
Nutrition: Cheat Day crushed whatever I wanted today. This included a sandwich (Bread, NOT good).

NOTE: Everything feels really great started incorporating more mobility work after my workouts which is allowing me to go more consecutive workouts without feeling really sore. I suggest if you aren't doing some sort of mobility work suggested by the man, Kelly Starrett then you need to keep out his Mobility WOD.

Quick But Effective

It was tough to even think about working out today after 7 hours of working over the hot sunny scraping 25 year old paint off a barn but knew I had to get at least something in. Workout was very quick but effective. This is where I want to talk a little about hydration
In any athlete that work hard and compete lose water through sweat. People have different sweat rate so the amount of water lost during a workout or competition. The amount needed throughout the you need to take half your body weight in ounces. So for example I weigh 175lbs so in ounces of water I need to consume about 88oz. of water per day. On top of that you need to consume 16oz. for every hour of working out or physical activity. This allows you to stay well hydrated throughout the day and through your performance. So during the hot summer months, you need to make sure your drinking plenty of water. I little secret to maximize the absorption by your body is to add a little electrolyte once in a while. Sources of good electrolytes is coconut water, electrolyte packets or Emergency-C. If you just flood your body with massive amounts of water your kidneys with just turn on and flush it out of the system. In other words you'll just be peeing a lot.

Now to the workout

WORKOUT
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps
- Squat Cleans @ 155lbs
- Lateral Burpees over 20" Box
- Ring Dips

Endurance
10 x 10yd Sprints w/ 30sec rest

PERSONAL
Hours of Sleep: 7
Nutrition: Good. Fasted today before the workout.
NOTE: Body feels good except my knees hurt a little bit from the rucking yesterday but overall feeling great.  Usually do lateral burpees over a bar but the theme this week is slight changes to exercises. Thinking about doing some strongman stuff tomorrow. If you lift heavy you will be stronger. But Until Then, Cheers!

Getter Done

So I decided to change my workout sequence up a little today. To start my workout I did some rucking and then  did my WOD. Did the run with 10lbs. I kept the weight low because I have never done it before. I also feel that its not the greatest for your knee due to the access weight your body is not use to handling.

WORKOUT
Ruck Run -  1.5 miles with 10lbs

Dynamic Upper Body
Close Grip Bench Press - 10x3 @ 70lb with 150lbs of Band tension

WOD
7 Rounds as fast as possible
- 25lb plate swing - 20
- Bar Single Arm Snatch - 20 (10 each arm)
- 20 Double Unders

TIME: 12:56

PERSONAL
Hours of Sleep: 8
Nutrition: OK had Oatmeal this morning
NOTE: Glutes pretty sore but should be good for tomorrow.

Pizza Update: Still have not eaten a slice of pizza for 5 days. Made it through the weekend which is when I usually consume pizza. I happy that I was able to do it and gunna keep on going.

Happy America Day

I would have to say the Fourth of July is one of my most favorite holidays of the year. Great Food, great time of the year, great people to celebrate with and just overall always a great time. Just celebrating AMERICA, its that simply An what not a better way to celebrate with a little workout. It was tough to get motivated after a long NOT so healthy weekend at my buddy's cottage. But this is where workout partners come. Always keeping you on track and you do the same for him. This is why working out with someone is a great idea. They're there to keep you going, to push you to places you didn't know you could go. The guys I workout with just make my a better athlete in the gym. Not all of us have the same strengths so when there is a workout that you wouldn't normally attempt on your own. Your partner(s) are there to make sure you're working on those weaknesses.

The WOD

4 Rounds
Bulgarian Split Squats - 5 each leg @ 155lbs bar weight + 20lbs suspended weight
Jog 100y ds down hill
Sprint 100 yds up hill

Accessory Work
 - RDL 4x12 @ 100lbs

-30,20,10 reps
     - Double Unders
     - Air Squats

PERSONAL
Hours of Sleep - 4
Nutrition - Crappy
NOTE: The weight for the RDLs was put in a 2x2 box and were perform which changes up the line of pull making the movement a little different compared to the conventional RDL with a bar. Definitely interesting to say the least. The suspended weight was also a little curve-ball from normal. It made me have to stabilize my  spine a little more then normal because it felt like the bar was shaking all around my back.

Finally Figured It Out

Today's workout I had to do alone but still got an insane workout in. Oh one think I forgot to tell you is that I filmed the workout and will post the workout on the blog. You'll finally be able to see what I have been up to. Hopefully I can film all the workouts but I cannot promise that. I'll try really hard. 

WORKOUT

Strength

Wide Stance Goodmornings 5x3 @ 135, 155, 175, 185, 205

WOD

As many reps as possible in 3 Mins

- 3 mins 25lb plate swings

- 3 mins rest

- 3 mins 20" Box Jumps

- 3 mins rest 

- 3 mins 65lb Strict Press

- 3 mins rest 

- 3 mins 25yd Shuttle

Total: 

- plate Swings: 111

- Box Jumps: 157

- Strict Press: ?

- Shuttle: 21

NOTE: Camera ran out of space towards the end of the workout so I don't really know how many strict presses I got but hopefully next time I'll get the whole workout.

6/30/2011 - Pretty Sore and the Pizza Challenge

After the Heavy Cindy, my body was pretty sore from my low back to my hamstring to my upper back. So today we all decided to not hit the weights and use this as a day to recover. Now, people have different ways of recovering. There are people that like to use the long slow distance (LSD) to help recover, like my friend Kurt. We also have the people that like to not do anything and allow their body's to completely rest which is also a get method because this allows your nervous system to complete take a break from the intense training regime. Others like to play others sports that are not that intense like slow pitch softball, which all of us played last night. Helps keeps the competitive edge outside of the weight room. Other you can be like me and use a sled on the off days to help recover the legs.
This method is used my many power lifters who follow Louie Simmons's Westside style to lifting.After a heavy leg day the day after he has his lifters drag a sled until the next heavy leg day. The way they do it is the day after the sled has maximum weight and as the week progresses the weight decreases in order for an athlete to lift maximally on the next heavy leg day.

Recovery Workout
Sled Pulls - 25yards at 90lbs for 16 lengths
NOTE: I did 8 lengths with a straight leg march and 8 lengths with the harness between my legs. I thought the between the legs was much harder then the straight leg march but both did work.

PERSONAL
Hours of Sleep: 7
Weight: 181lbs
NOTE: Like a said before hamstrings and low back were the most sore from the day before. But all in all feel pretty good and ready to get back at it on Friday 7/1/2011. Speaking of the first of July. I was talking with a couple friends last night about how we all love pizza. And one of my friends said he and his girlfriend tried not eating pizza for a whole month and were able to complete the challenge. So I'm deciding I will embark on this challenge for the month of July. It will be pretty tough with the holiday coming up but I think I can do it. I also challenge you to the same challenge and at the end of the month reward yourself with something. Maybe some new fishing gear or something that will give you motivation to stay on track. It will be interesting to see how this goes. Updates will be daily. But Until Then, Cheers!