Hedge's Ramblinz

Wa - If you can call it that - Nov 22

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Last day in the hotel with 2 beat-down recumbents, 2 ellipticals, 2 treadmills, and a 4 station piece of crappé. Tried to do something special with 3 rounds of 21 reps: chin-downs with the pull-down machine/incline press with the stupid bench machine. You know what? I got owned a little. Everything was right with the world as I cashed out with 3x max reps (15s-20ishs) reverse push ups.

Wl - Use it or Abuse it - Nov 20

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0000

So, there's a ext/curl station, kinda, on the old universal machine in the hotel. Got crazy on it doing 5x 12 old-school single-leg extensions, and prone curls. Then, took the pull up bar off the pull-down machine and used it as resistance for 4x max reps OV squats. Hey! Just good enough.

Ca - "Cindy on the Run" - Nov 19

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Sheraton Four Points in DC didn't make a point of putting in a gym worth skunk in their hotel, and we were just trying to bag something before hitting the town, so I was up for the Cindy I owe. Don't ask me who I owe - myself, maybe. Anyway, Wictor was gonna hit the gym too, so we upped the ante to "... on the Run." We were going to AMRAP 20 minutes, but three rounds each with some pre-work on my part (before Wic jumped onto the treadmill) took 19 and change, and we felt pretty smoked by then anyway. 15 reps with the pull-down bar, 10 push ups, 15 air squats, and .25 on the treadmill at 1.5% 6.6/6.7/7.1 mph.

M - Georgetown Georun - Nov 18

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:49:00 +0000

80 minutes, 6.75 miles - 60 mins of running with 20 mins of bouncing at crosswalks and poking around not-finding a couple of caches. 1 find, one dnf, one not-there-to-find on a gorgeous (read: chill enough for tights, but never donned the gloves) day to sprint-and-stop through downtown to Georgetown and back.

AR - Fatboi Push Press - Nov 14

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:31:00 +0000

So, wasn't nothing happening today after shredding my achilles tendon (again) on the Yokuts soccer field - that siren call to run 220's with the morning glow, lights on was the light of Lucifer, not the Lord - and I had done some pull ups, ring dips and ring push ups, but just couldn't get it going.

Uncork the Fatboy from Tobin James with the Walkers over and throw some tenderloin on the barbie, and all changes. Push presses with the 95# bar turned into something like 5 sets, with a couple of thruster sets and a set of clean and press and a set of SDHPs. Dig in bois.

S - Dice Run without the Dice - Nov 11

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:47:00 +0000

52 mins total, just an out and back to Yokuts where I wasn't planning on using the soccer field (was just going to do the .1 mi accelerations along the blacktop) but the lights were on, and the old 220's seemed to be waiting for someone. 5 x 220 in 45 or better, on 2.30.

Did the box jumps on the benches, the incline pushups and reclined pulls, and jumping jacks at the bridge. Grabbed a couple of bricks on the return. Oh, and ran Maylow around the block at the end.

8 hours /12 hours. PE: 6. 215/13.

AR - On the Bar - Nov 10

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Really wasn't an AR day, but that's how the day played out. So I just played on the bar; pulls and ring dips. Just a few dips, and only repping 4's and 5's. Something like 8 sets on the bar - only getting 8's or so dead hang.

Everything needs work, and look, I'm not even staying on the schedule.

8 hours /30 hours. PE: 5. 215/13.

Wl - More Sore - Nov 9

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:42:00 +0000

Stood up after some hours of work at the desk and realized, "Ah man, am I freaking SORE." Good thing it's leg day. Almost blew off the day, but the workout actually helped.

3 ext/curl/hyperextensions x 11/12 reps, and a 4th ext and 5th curl for good measure. Then 4x10 deads @185#/4x12 calves.

8 hours /48 hours. PE: 6. 217/11.

M - Police Memorial 10K - Nov 7

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:06:00 +0000

Run with CC on the bike from Riverwalk through the wetlands end of the bikepath. 22 minutes of medium effort, and at the first bench past the 5k turnaround, CC called a picnic stop for water and Corn-nuts. 6 mins to the turnaround and back for a total run of 59 mins.

8.5 hours/15 hours. PE: 6. 215/13.

Gym in a Box

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:15:00 +0000

And not a CF box either. Or is it? Whoa, I guess you can take it with you.

Ca on a Whim - Dead Bang - Nov 6

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Crossfit Bako put up a WoD today:

Who made this up???
10 rounds for time:
5 Pull Ups
10 Slam Balls
15 KB Swings
Ouch!

Yeah, sounded good! So I dropped everything and set to it, thinking I'd sub wall balls for the slam balls (I own zero slam balls). Got through one round of wall ball and realized that stucco is tougher than Dynamax skin, and was going to eat my med ball up pretty quickly. Did 95# Thrusters instead, not a fair trade.

30.38.
Rd1: 1.43
Rd2: 2.56
Rd3: 2.35
Rd4: 3.35
Rd5: 2.55
Rd6: 3.48
Rd7: 4.02
Rd8: 4.59
Rd9: 4.00

There was no round 10. Even using the watch, it was getting dark and I managed to miscount. CC was there to count reps, but who wants to cheat on reps when you can cheat out a whole round?

Which was perfectly okay, since at 20 minutes I was thinking, "Shouldn't this be a 20 minute AMRAP?" ... As it was, it was a 30 minute, 9 round AMRAP where I seemed to spend more time standing around breathing hard and talking at myself, and, when it was over, made my left shoulder feel like it dislocated, the arm numb and hovering a few inches away from my body.

Crossfit, the workout that takes you places only drugs used to be able to!

8 hours/48 hours. PE: 8+.

Ca/Wa - Dirty Cleans - Nov 4

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:54:00 +0000

4 rounds of extensions and feet to bar to buy in. Then 21-15-9 of kipping pulls, dips and hang power cleans with #135. Man, the cleans were ugly. 20.09, first round in 7.58, second in 7.35, third in 4.34.

Mostly, I just need to push myself better.

8 hours/26 hours. PE: 7-8.

Wl - 'Cause I Needed It - Nov 3

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:57:00 +0000

4 ext/curl. 4x8 Deads @ 205#. 4 seated/A-frame calves. 4x11 Ov Squats @65#. Just a thing. Tell you about the deads tomorrow. Today they felt easy, but that doesn't mean anything until we survey the damage.

8.5 hours/3 days. PE: 6. 215/15.

Butt Arms: More Than a Trophy.

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:39:00 +0000

I was thinking that Eva T's Butt Arms were pretty cool ("A large dose of eccentric movement can produce arms like these. They hurt. The swelling goes down in about 3 days.")

Awesome. How many pull ups would I have to do to have that happen?

But really, they're symptomatic of rhabdo, and a sign of overtraining, or what might otherwise be called stupidrhabdo.

Swelling of the damaged muscle occasionally leads to compartment syndrome, the compression by swollen muscle of surrounding tissues in the same fascial compartment (such as nerves and blood vessels), leading to damage or loss of function in the part of the body supplied by these structures. Symptoms of this complication include decreased blood supply, decrease in sensation, or pain in the affected limb.

Most cases of rhabdomyolysis develop as a result of muscle injury or strain, or other external causes (such as medication or intoxication). However, the cause is not always directly evident. Pain, tenderness, weakness and edema (swelling) of the affected muscles may be present. Other symptoms are nonspecific and result either from the consequences of the breakdown in muscle tissue, or from the condition that caused the muscle breakdown.
Release of the components of muscle tissue into the bloodstream leads to disturbances in electrolytes, causing nausea, vomiting, confusion, coma and cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rate and rhythm). Furthermore, damage to the kidneys may lead to dark (tea-colored) urine or a marked decrease (oliguria) or absence (anuria) of urine production, usually about 12–24 hours after the initial muscle damage.

Thinking again that the line between Hard Ass and Dumb Ass is a thin one.

Whatever Mix - Oct 31

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:18:00 +0000

A warm up round of 10 ring dips/10 pull ups/10 Ov squats/10 1.5 pood Kb swings. Then three rounds of the same, but with thrusters instead of the squats.

Feel like dirt. It's a week-long cortisol overdose.

8 - 3 hours/4 days. PE: 6. 213/12.

Cl - "Jeremy" - Oct 27

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Opened with 4 calves on the A-frame, then 4 leg curls and a couple extensions. Then Walker showed up. Let's go!

3, 2, 1 - the 95# Overheads were death. My arms didn't loosen up until the warmdown set. heh. Burpees just suck, even in small doses. 10.59. Sub-eleven first effort.

Gonna work on Overheads now. Those and feet/knees to bar. And some other stuff. Yah.

9.5 hours/25 hours. PE: 7. 214/14.

Wa - All about the Cleans - Oct 26

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

An approximation of today's workout. Took the weekend off, save for the grieving process for Spook, and still felt like something's not there today.

3 knees to elbows/hyperextensions, 4 chin ups/pushups (13 with 25# on the gravitron/20 reps), then what was supposed to be 21/15/9/5 clean and presses. 95#, squat cleans and presses - I'm only up to 9 before I dump on the first set. 4 x 8 calls it a day.

Hey, at least they weren't hang cleans and thrusters. I at least have that to hang my hat on.

Spoke too Soon - Oct 24

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:57:00 +0000

This was the Saturday "M" day, right? Took yesterday off to do the Hideous 92 miler today. 7 miles and a broken spoke later, I get to shop at Target, buy bacon at Green Frog, and then do jack shit all day.

Broken spoke at least explains the hard day I had chasing Paul and Walker around Round Mt. last ride. Scrubbing brake for the consolation prize. I'm a stud and didn't even know it.

20 minute world's-shortest-Spooktacular ride for 7 miles before the SAG car picked me up walking it home. FML.

Catch as Catch Can - Oct 22

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Some 5 sets of push press on the new bar and tires (read: 95#) in the backyard before the Marine band at the Civic. Cortisol levels through the ceiling as I just grind my teeth and wish I was dead.

Sometimes life just gets in the way ... of my freaking life.

PE: 5.

Wl - Blowing Off the Schedule - Oct 21

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Not at all what the schedule called for today, but feeling like I needed it. Bought in with 4 KTE/back extensions. 4 extensions/5 curls. Then deads 4x5 with 235# - losing grip more than anything. 3 A-frame calves/seated calves.

... having trouble sleeping, didn't need another PM metcon. Bears or Badger? I'll plug the Bears in soon.

9 - 4 hours/72 hours. PE: 6.

AR - Oct 19

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Got a couple of 12" wheels to use as the cheapest 22.8# bumpers possible. Fighting with the lockjaw collar was the WoD. Otherwise, just stretching as CC read to me. I needed a day after 3 pretty stiff ones in a row.

21/15/9 As We Brew - Honey Brown - Oct 18

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Trying to blam out a quick metcon with what's on hand as we let the hops boil in our Honey Brown Ale for the second 30 minutes of an hour-long protein break.

23.23 for me to grind out 21-15-9 ring dips/pull ups/OH squats 50#/KB swings 53#. We're dubbing this one the "Honey Brown."

First push on the new rings (repping in the 8's/9's), first WoD on the new bar and KB. A nice day to break 'em all in with Walker and White. Really felt funky afterward, but hey, I guess that's what a few beers before the WoD can do to ya.

PS, this one rocked Walker for a couple of days, so my honey brown haze for a few hours was no big deal. Still, basic and four-squared workouts can rowk the howse.

9 hours/32 hours. PE: 7. 215/14.

Honey Brown Ale

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:17:00 +0000

What would happen if you augmented the slightly dry, caramelly and roasty character of a smooth, mellow English brown ale with the sweet floral flavor of clover honey? What if you added the honey at the very last possible minute to maximize its presence in the finished beer? What if it was delicious? Something with a little backbone, but still smooth.

So, the stuff came from Northern Brewer, who calls this "A light, clean fermenting ale modeled after the "cream lagers" of the northeast United States. Low in gravity, long on flavor, this beer is a pale thirst-quencher, great for brewing and enjoying in the summertime. Dingemans Biscuit Malt gives our Cream Ale a warm, toasty flavor that complements the light hopping." Bring it. We've got some Cream Stout that needs some pairing for Black n' Tannage.

Steeping: .5 lb. Simpson's Chocolate, .5 lb. Dingemans Special B, .5 lb. Dingemans Biscuit, .5 lb. Briess Special Roast
Extract: 12 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
Honey: 2 lbs. Clover
Bitters: 1 oz. Cluster pellets (7.5%) at 30 minutes into boil; .75 oz Cluster at 50 minutes in, then .25 oz pellets and 1 oz Cascade leaf (8.7%)
Yeast: Safbrew S-33's, started on honey water 12 hours prior

Steeped the grains for 30 mins from 80 degrees up to 125, drinking up the last pitcherful of the Cream Ale. Hey look! We've got a corney of the Cream Stout in the fridge hiding behind that Ale. And it's good!
Took 30 minutes to get the 10 gallons up to a rolling boil, the first hops going in then. The biggest long chain bread crumbs floating around in their after the protein break that I'd ever seen.

Added the second Cluster, and let the boil go, thinking we'd get in a quick WoD during the half hour before the next batch of hops to go in, but it all took longer than we thought. Boiled 7 minutes longer than the 30 planned, put in the final Cascade and shut off the heat.

Oh, yeah, that honey stuff.

Fired up the gas again, started stirring, poured it in, then just shut it all back down. No honey boil. This ain't mead. heh.

Chilled and really took a long time to get back under 100 degrees. Two full corneys (not much head space) but a lot of yeast in there workin'. Corneys in the garage, should be at an optimum temperature of 59–75° F. It'll run a little warm, but let's git 'er done.

No real mishaps, everything tasting, looking and smelling good. Thinking that the normal OG would be in the low 1040ies, but we're at 1050. Rock the house.

Day 4: Fermentation stopping at 1011 for both corneys. Into the chiller wid' ye.

Metcon in the Park with Crossfit Bako - Oct 17

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Started out lacking some zip today. Doing things when you don't want to do them. If it ain't step one, it's one of the first steps in the right direction. Gonna do it anyway and see what's what, I say as I get out the door. Just glad to be spending the morning with my CCgirl too.

Run to Woodys' with Boogie on the bike, 34 mins just cruisin'. Nice little warm up, then

4 rounds:
400 m run
21 push ups
21 lunge walk
21 knees to elbows

1st round: 4.41; 2nd 5.10; 3rd 5.42; 4th 5.16: 20.35. Man, I was gassed most of the time. The runs were slogs, the push ups were like nothing, the lunges were just there to do long term damage, but the knee ups ... I was forced to partition into three 7's just to get through them.

29 minutes home, then a tour of the neighborhood with Kon on the bike for another 7. 100 minutes total work. But that 20 minute metcon. I'll be doing Ghd/Feet to bar each time I enter the gym or back yard for a while, until I get this core weakness settled.

8 - 1 hours/18 hours. PE: 8. 214/13.

Wa - Thrusters FTW - Oct 16

noreply@blogger.com (hedge) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Buy in: 3 reverse push ups - 20 reps each. Then the Thruster fest begins: 115#; 3 supersetted with chinups (8 reps), then 4 more for good measure (6/8/7/8ish). Was feeling the leftovers from the 6 sets of Thrusters on Wednesday. Sometimes it just stacks up. 30 mins total, change to change.

Spent some quality time with the foam roller in the PM. IT band is there, fo' sho.

8 hours/33 hours. PE: 7. 214/12.