WoD - "Helen" - Aug 30

"Helen" - in the heat. 103 degrees, yeah, that and Walker coming by with 4 bombers might have effected me a bit. The propblast Helen: 16.06 with a 15 sec delay on the last round fighting to keep the dog from running the loop with me. Today was supposed to be an "S" day, and I was thinking I was going to completely take the day off in exchange for tomorrow's AR day, since I was up at 3 AM with what I diagnosed as overtraining-induced insomnia. A good morning at church and a nap, and I was feeling good enough to be getting my ya-yas out with Helen. Used a 35# DB, and a run around the block - which felt a lot longer than 400M, but which is probably shorter. Gonna have to measure it to see if it's dead on. (Here's the P.S.: the run was .37 mi; the temp was 105. Noice!).

2.58 first run; 2.07 swings and pull ups: 5.06
2.54 run; 2.29: 10.29
3.12 with 15 seconds of tripping all over the friggin' dog; 2.25: 16.06

The DB swings really are fun; I was just flagging as I reached the final reps each round - can't wait to swing the real deal 1.5 pood dood. The Base schedule called for 15 minutes of rope jumping, but my achilles is still not something I want to test with the rope yet. The running today and yesterday are edgy enough. Also, just trying to do all the named/hero WoDs I've not done, to lay down a baseline.
Next time, I'll do Helen Rx'ed, and beat today's time. Remember, you heard it here first.

7.30 hours + 1/32 hours. PE: 8. 217/10.

M - Ride & Tie - Aug 29

Ride & Tie with Walker on the bike path: 92 mins total, 4.25ish miles out, same back. A couple hard miles in the middle, definitely fading toward the end. And dang! Transitions need work what with trying to lock/unlock the bike! Bike legs were 4:00 minutes of riding, but lock/unlock times make them longer.

7.30 warm up run
3 minute bike; 11.40 run
5.40 minute bike; 11.13 run
5.13 minute bike; 10.32 run
4.55 minute bike; 9.55 run
5.34 minute bike; 7.55 run
9.17 warm down home carrying bricks.

This is an awesome event. Really would be fun with more bikes and more ppl. A five-man team with 2 bikes would be fun. Last man always grabs a bike, rides it one minute past the lead runner then dumps it. Another twist might have the lead runner running backward until passed. But the confusion of just jumping on and off bikes might be enough. heh.

8.20 hours/15 hours. PE: 7. 213/13.

Wa - Aug 28

Buy in with 3 knees to elbows and ghds. 21-15-9-5 incline bench with 50# DBs/Chin ups. Chins were owning me - only 5s at a time. 3 sets of max reps (10) DB (power) cleans and presses with 50s. That's the show. Just a hellacious pump and a lot of sweat.

7 hours/49 hours. PE: 7. 213/12.

Pretty Much.

You and those like you have received special advantages; you have all of you had the opportunity for mental training; many of you have had leisure; most of you have had a chance for enjoyment of life far greater than comes to the majority of your fellows. To you and your kind much has been given, and from you much should be expected. Yet there are certain failings against which it is especially incumbent that both men of trained and cultivated intellect, and men of inherited wealth and position should especially guard themselves, because to these failings they are especially liable; and if yielded to, their- your- chances of useful service are at an end. Let the man of learning, the man of lettered leisure, beware of that queer and cheap temptation to pose to himself and to others as a cynic, as the man who has outgrown emotions and beliefs, the man to whom good and evil are as one. The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life's realities - all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. They mark the men unfit to bear their part painfully in the stern strife of living, who seek, in the affection of contempt for the achievements of others, to hide from others and from themselves in their own weakness. The role is easy; there is none easier, save only the role of the man who sneers alike at both criticism and performance.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride or slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are.

The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who "but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier."

- Theodore Roosevelt

So Long, Teddy.

We're all really going to miss you.

WoD Ca - "Easy Street" - Aug 26

21-15-9 for time of
Sumo Hi Pulls - normally 95#
Incline Press - 50% BW
Squat Cleans - 95# or whatever
Dips - BW, but at this point, that's like moving the friggin' Titanic

Yeah, this WoD deserves a name. Today, it seemed like Easy Street. How hard can 3 rounds of 21-15-9 be, anyway? I found out, as I shook hands with Pukie today (didn't give him a hug, though) and got the "looks" from the PM crowd at BodyXchange. WoD called for rowing, but no C2, so I subbed sumo hi pulls - man, on second thought, I wish I could have rowed. Made a M/W/W/G workout into a W/W/W/G. Yes, I felt the difference. 105# Sumo pulls (instead of rowing 750-500-250M)/60# DB incline bench (didn't want to chance the bench getting taken, and hey, I like the incline mix, especially with doing dips)/same 105# bar for the squat cleans/and finally, dips.

32.43: 21 round took 11.06, 15 round took 12.31, 9 round took 9.05. I was sitting on the cleans after doing 5 reps, wondering if I could do the final 4, and talking to myself way too much. Just gassed, but could still do the reps if I got on the bar. It's mostly mental, still. I did the same thing on the final dips - 4 reps, sucked and talked to myself, then just got on the freaking handles and cranked the final 5.

2200 - 0600 - 212/14.

Wl - Aug 25

Starting a new 4-week Base cycle today. Well, yesterday, but it was an AR day that didn't happen.

Not quite the perfect storm of W-type workouts today, but the randomizer conspired to make all 5-set breaks. 5 of knees to elbows (with ghd's for good measure), 5 ext/curl, 21-15-9-5 deads (185#), and 5 calf on the hoist recliner. Good thing yesterday was an off day.

2200 - 0645 - 213/12.

Get Comfortable with Discomfort.

Get a little lazy, get too comfortable in all aspects of life.

In terms of movements, it is easy to cherry pick WODs. You come in and do the things you know you are good at. You skip the days that involve exercises you don’t like or, more likely, are not good at. You become a monster at Fran because you practice it everyday, but have no idea about your Grace because you never do heavy cleans, especially for reps. Maybe you have no idea what your 5k time is. Well, get over it. Be OK with being bad at something. Have faith in yourself that you can get better at it. Deal with frustration and finish.

As for intensity, discomfort is synonymous with pain. Pain is a very difficult feeling to get comfortable with. It takes work and effort. It means that your daily workout is going to make you nervous, give you butterflies in your stomach and make you want to quit half way through. Don't slow down, don't quit; you are only cheating yourself.

You will be a better athlete and a better person if you can face discomfort and adversity, stare it in the face, and overcome it. Embrace the Suck. Plumb the bottom of your confidence in your abilities, both physical and mental, to try new things, place yourself outside of your comfort zone, and start succeeding at everything in your life.

L-sit Progression.

S/M - Aug 23

62 mins on the MTB to Allen rd and back. Tried for a negative split by doing mile intervals on the return, but what felt faster, wasn't. Cashed out with 3 sets of OV squats with the light bar.

2030 - 0645 - 215/12

S - Aug 21

32 minute 3-miler on the dirt N of the river. With rocks in hand. With 50 squats on the mile.

2130 - 0630 minus 1 - 212/12.

The Chief - Aug 20

A missed day yesterday, so this gets pushed to today with a vengeance. Although, one doesn't feel so full of vinegar halfway through each round of this. Maintained 4 sets per round for all 5 rounds, as Rx'ed. 135 felt pretty light, at first. Cashed out with ghd's (8# ball) and ceiling stompers.

2200 - 0700 minus 1 or so - 213/15

Wl - Aug 18

Squeezing a quick one in today. Buy in with 3 ghd with the 10# ball/reverse pushups. 5 Ext/Curl with up to 205#/105#. 3 thrusters at 115# - these felt heavy. Cashed out with seated calves 21/15/9 @ 140#.

2130 - 0630 - 212/12.

R - Aug 16

3 mile Georun working on the CFendurance stride length & quick lift. Up and around the trails near the harbor seals in Carp, then at 2 miles, 4 sets of hanging L-raises near the Spot. Just getting the ya-yas out, totally hammered by the modified Chelsea from yesterday.

Chelsea/Cindy - Aug 15

I did/tried "Chelsea" at the beach - pull up bar by the volleyball courts at Carpinteria. The pull up bar was 30 feet away from a push-up pit, so I wasted some precious time and energy walking back and forth in the sand. Didn't think I could do the whole thing, so I came into the test with the rule that if I failed to complete a round in the minute, I'd rest through to the next minute's "go," and see how many rounds I could get in the 30 minutes.

I made it through 10 rounds before I couldn't meet the minute. Rested through to the next - then did 2 rounds before failing, then 2 more, then 2 more, then 2 more, and then dug deep and did 4 before a final blow and final round. 23 rounds, it was a learning experience. My previous best "Cindy" was like, 12 rounds in 20, so 10 rounds in the first 10 minutes shows a huge improvement. I feel the training effect from this one. Chelsea; one ruthless taskmistress.

Nuthin' - Aug 14

Work. Work, work, work. No lunch, no sleep. Up in the middle of the night, ate like crappé, who cares.

0930 - 0730 minus 3.

Wa - Aug 13

3 GHD to buy in. Today called for 5 pushups/snatches. I just couldn't get a feel for the snatches. I subbed dips/pulls on the gravitron. Cash out with 3 sumo hi pulls at 95. Nothing special, just another day at the office after a day off yesterday.

2130 - 0630 less 1 at 0100 - 214/16

"Killing Joke" - Aug 11

Okay, so buy in is GHD (back), and cash out is the same. I can live with that. Choose between "Killing Joke" or SomethingRunnyDip. Was gonna flip a coin, but I remembered I was the guy who was icing his achilles last night, so I got scared off by the 400s (leave alone the 50 HDPUs late in the workout ... didn't want do a face plant). So the easy option was Killing Joke. heh. 15.05, as Rx'ed, but really wasn't working fast, was thinking about form.

Lessons learned:
1. I had better remediate with some front squats, I'm not getting my elbows up at all.
2. I can brute-force the weight, but I'd better focus on breaking these down.
3. 15 minutes can be one hella long workout, when you're in the middle of it.
4. The Hoist GHD isn't a true GHD, but.

2100 - 0650 - 216/14.

Performance, Performance, Performance.

Love vs Obsession ...

Wl, kinda - Aug 10

Sit ups, Ext/Curl 3 up from 2, 3 Seated calf raises. I missed the main set of bag work with the bag getting hogged by 3 ppl at downtown BodyX. No one is ever on that freaking bag. I succumb to Murphy today and take it easy.

2347 - 0647 - 216/14

AR/S - Aug 9

What the heck, a short 20 min run today, so I take the dog too. No leash, who cares? I'm just gonna go on the north side of the river where there's no one to bother, pick up a couple of rocks, and do some heavy-hands with some random fartlek. Alas, Army's doing their two-mile test on the bike path, and the dumb dog latches on to some fast soldier, and I get to chase them down to Chester. 42 mins total, cashed out with 3 chest-to-bar chins. Swim later today, but that will be easy too. Or is supposed to be.

2200 - 700 - 214/11

M Bike - Aug 8

MTB for 3.20 around Ming with the Old Farts. The legs still feel hollow from the cleans this week. I better improve at recovery or something's gonna have to change. heh.

2220 - 0540 - 215/12.

AR - Aug 7

I'm lying. It was a complete "off" day. No stretching, no ab work, no nothing. Just three big beers in the PM. Still owned from back-to-back Badger and power cleaning.

2130 - 0630 - 214/14.

Crossfit Games.

The Games site is here.

You can see a real evolution in the games, and by extrapolation, in CF itself, by comparing the games' events over the last three years:

The 2007 (inaugural) Games took place on June 30 - July 1st, with three workouts:

Saturday morning: A hopper workout that was literally determined at random (it ended up being row, push jerks and pullups)

Saturday afternoon: A 3K off trail hill run

Sunday: The CrossFit Total

---

The 2008 Games took place on July 5-6th, with four workouts:

Saturday: (workouts performed in any order throughout the day)
5 Deadlift (275lbs men, 185lbs women) / 10 Burpees - 5 Rounds for time
Thrusters (95lbs men, 65lbs women) / Pull-ups - 21, 15, 9 reps for time
750m off trail steep hill run

Sunday:
30 Squat Clean and Jerks (155lbs men, 100lbs women) for time

---

The 2009 Games took place July 10-12th, with eight events:

Saturday
Event 1: 7km Hill Run
Event 2: Deadlift one rep every 30 sec moving from 315lbs to 505lbs in 10lb increments (women went from 185lbs to 375lbs)
Event 3: 170m Hill Sprint with two 35lb sandbags (women used a single sandbag)
Event 4: Row 500m, pound a 4' stake into the ground, Row 500m (women used a 3' stake)
Event 5: Couplet, which was 3 Rounds for time of 30 Wallball / 30 75lb Squat Snatch (women used 14lb medicine ball and a 45lb barbell)

Sunday
Event 6: Max load Barbell Snatch
Event 7: Triplet, which was max rounds in 8min of 4 Handstand Pushups / 8 32kg KB Swings / 12 GHD Situps (women used a 24kg KB)
Event 8: Chipper, which was 15 barbells cleans (155/100lbs), 30 toes to bar, 30 box jumps (24/20"), 15/10 muscle-ups, 30 push presses (40/25lbs), 30 double-unders, 15 thrusters (135/95lbs), 30 pull-ups, 30 burpees, 300' overhead walking lunges (45/25lb plate)

Complexity has increased. Randomization is out. The difficult-to-master but telling Oly lifts are in. Crazy, real world exercise is in.

Celebrate the Crossfit Cult.

Cult: Obsessive devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.

We don't care if you come and we don't care if you leave, how can that be a cult? - Greg Glassman

This can’t be a cult; the connotations are all wrong. "Cult" would imply that something foolish or devious is occurring, something motivated by greed or vanity, something to do with stars or demigods, the cosmos or the second coming.

The only motivation here is excellence. Caring too much. Pushing the boundaries. All that stuff you say during a job interview and nobody believes you.

From outside the looking glass, I can see the disbelief. I can believe the disbelief. Thousands of people, swearing up and down this is the best thing since solar power, lawn irrigation, and supermarkets, bundled into a free-if-you-want-it package and available daily, changing lives every time. It sounds like a teenager’s drunken promise, whispered sweetly and mired in mal-intent.

Any rational human being would assume that there’s a plot, a cabal at the top, aiming to steal and maim, to prosper at another’s expense.

There’s not. I know, because I’ve sat at the table. I’ve had the conversations, reflecting on the past and predicting the future, wondering at the sheer speed of the rocket ship, the linear progression turning geometric. The discourse isn’t yachts and summer homes; it’s progress.

The driver of this mission is physical superiority; a battle-ready state, general physical fitness spurred by a contrarian philosophy and a general distain for bullshit.

We want our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen to pummel our Nation’s enemies. We want our sons and daughters to reject a sedentary lifestyle. We want our parents out of nursing homes and into society.

We do not want a cult, togas and Nikes ready for the apocalypse, and we couldn’t have one anyway. CrossFitters are too numerous to track, let alone control. They’re recklessly dispersed in America and the Middle East, Peru and Finland, Prague and Canada, arrayed under a thousand coaches, many of whom would just as soon eat horseflesh as agree with each other.

The only motivation here is the higher calling, the moral stance, and the knowledge that kind of good is not good enough, that health and wellbeing are sacrosanct, that the truth is inviolable, that fitness is everything.

Decry the organization, but know that your arguments are false. This is no siren song, no massive conspiracy to suck dollars from the pockets of the credulous. This is a revolution, righteous, transparent, and effective. It is a philosophy couched in generosity and executed unfailingly. It is a way of life, and it will continue, with or without you.
- Jon Gilson

Religion of Peace.

Just heard about the big dope who got out of his car in the drive-thru at Del Taco to mouth off to the car full of wrestlers, throw a couple punches at them, and then get beaten into a coma when they came out of the car to give him a little of what he was asking for. It's a shame, but pride kills.

From Michael Yon's blog in Afghanistan, talking with Afghan National Army guys - you know, the moderate, good ones:

"I asked Colonel Wadood if the people of Afghanistan understand Democracy and he said yes, but not the people of Helmand, who “understand only Swordocracy,” and everyone laughed. And then spontaneously, Colonel Wadood said, “We have the best Democracy with Islam. Our religion is one of brotherhood and oneness. Our religion is about equality, no status.” He said these things, and more. Colonel Wadood continued, pausing long enough for me to write, “Women have the right to education, to have a job, to be a candidate in elections.” Colonel Wadood paused, and continued, “If we applied these things it is the perfect democracy and perfect religion. Killing people is forbidden. Drug trafficking is forbidden. Cruelty and brutality is forbidden. Attacks that Taliban execute are all against Islam and Sharia. The best Muslim never harms anyone with his eyes, his tongue or with his hands. He should only be useful not harmful. We cannot kill infidels without reason. But if they invade our honor, our religion, our land or our pride, we can kill them. Same condition applies to Muslim too. If he does these things we can kill him."

Defending oneself or one's land is a far cry from all the wiggle room provided by having an out to kill if your honor or pride is invaded. Not sure how to do that, but I sure find Christianity more tolerant than the do-not-invade-our-Islam-or-we-can-kill-you. Seeing a lot of Muslims doing the invading right now on the world stage, without provocation or any cause to kill.

Wa - Aug 6

A hurry-up PM with Chacho. Buy-in with 21-15-9 OV squats with 85 on the short bar. 5 sets of push ups/sumo hi pulls (75#); didn't think the push ups were going to be of any account, but hey, they were pwning. Then cashed out with power cleans (115#) 21-15-9 - partitioned at 11 & 10. Amazing the good one can do in 30 minutes.

2130 - 0630, fitful with the running metabolic tachometer from the Badger - 215/12.

"Badger" - Aug 5

No buy in or cash out for this one - was squeezed for time as it was, thinking that this would take 30 mins. 45.51 instead, as Rx'ed. I thought I'd never get through the first round's cleans, doing about 5 reps and dumping. While taking blows, I envisioned scaling down the next two rounds to 25 and 20 reps. But I didn't, and got to walk out with my head held high. Got into a good groove cleaning, and built up a little muscle memory for good ones today. rd 1: 13.54; rd 2: 14.39 (but felt a lot faster than the first); rd 3: 17.10. Lost a good bit of time on the 3rd round having to move to a new bar, and slipping off the pull up bar with sweatywet hands. Round one saw me moving to the treadmills to do the 800 only to find them all full of walkers/cell fone talkers - got on an elliptical instead, which might have been a blessing, since they don't "push back" a pace like a treadmill. Stuck with it in the ensuing rounds, all at a 4.00 800.

217/12 - 2200-0630

S - Sprint Pyramid - Aug 4

This day is out of sync as I move Badger to tomorrow, and make up for Sunday. S'ok with a good 38 minute effort - .25 warm up/warm down to the bikepath, where it was .1 in 40, walk .1, .2/walk .1; .3; .4; .4; and down. The longer efforts just sucked, but I held on to the 40 seconds per.

Feeling like the Base schedule is plenty hard, some amendments in the works (still would like to see more hip drive in the rotation) but it's worlds away from even what I considered a hard schedule. And razzlem'damn if it don't take but hardly any time out of the day.

2230 - 0550.

Wl - Aug 3

Buy in 2 GHD; 5 Ext/Curl; 5 OV Sqt 50# up to 80# (weak here); cash out with seated calves. Feeling good after the additional day off.

2230 - 0630

AR, kinda - Aug 2

Blown day on Sunday, was supposed to S with a sprint pyramid, but with no one to watch the little ones, I wasn't out the door. Went to church, took a nap, stretched and swam. And went to the movies. I can shuffle the day down to the next AR day, if it's not 5 on consequtively.

In the meantime, some questions to weigh the exercise you're choosing:
1. Is the exercise ground-based and are you standing up while performing the exercise?
2. Is the exercise a free weight exercise?
3. Does the exercise work multiple muscle groups and surround multiple joints?
4. Is the exercise performed in an explosive manner?

M Run - Aug 1

Hour-long scamble through the tidepools and along the beach at Shell Beach - out and back up and down all the access from Spyglass park North and back again.

2130 - 615 : 215/12