Fran and Frustration

I have been somewhat frustrated by my progress in my workout goal.  In particular, I have tried to stick to a program of 3 days working out, 1 day off, 2 on, 1 off.  I have been stymied.  I just can't seem to recover enough.  All the more frustrating since the official Crossfit program is 3 on, 1 off, all the time.  So I reviewed my workout log, which goes back to January 08.  I looked at the workouts that I did when I considered myself in my prime.  My schedule was very haphazard back then.  3 on, 3 off, 5 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off, etc.  But I looked at an average for a month and found that I was consistently working out an average of 20-21 days per month, ie. the equivalent of a 2 on-1 off program.  I have been somewhat relieved to find that I was getting decent results working out 67% of the time.  So I'm going to implement a consistent 2-1 rotation.  We'll see how it goes.  Oh yeah, this all underscores the importance of keeping a record of your workouts.

Today was dedicated to Fran, a Crossfit legend.  The giants amongst Crossfit giants do this workout under 2:30.  I guess that makes me a pygmy.  My time was 10:09.  My best ever was 6:55 on 7/31/08. 
Fran 
21-15-9 reps of
95 lbs Thruster
Kipping Pullups

Another important lesson for today:  strength plays a huge part in doing these workouts quickly and successfully.  I wasn't slowed down by lack of cardio, but by a lack of shoulder strength and leg power to drive out of the bottom of the front squat.  I'll try to do Fran again as I near the end of my goal to see how much I can improve.  At this point, 15 workouts down, 42 to go.

Elizabeth

I'm feeling a little beat down, but charged ahead anyway.
Elizabeth
21-15-9 reps of
135 lbs. Squat Clean
Ring Dips

My time 19:24. 
Not even close to a PR (14:40 on 12/18/08). 
Still, 14 workouts down, 43 to go.

Nancy - Thirteen Down, Forty Four to Go

Today I did Nancy.  (My wife scowls.)  As previously noted, many Crossfit workouts are named after girls.  I should name one after my wife, Lisa.  I'll have to think on this awhile to come up with a workout that matches her personality. 

Anyway, Nancy:  5 rounds for time of
Run 400 meters
15 Overhead Squats, 95 lbs.
My time:  22:02.  I was hoping for better.  In fact, I had imagined a sub 15 min workout.  But the squats were much harder than I anticipated after running 400 m. 
After Nancy, I got to use my new rope.  (Cue Angelic chorus.)  I felt like an eight year old on Christmas morning.  The rope is hanging 15 feet up.  I did 5 ascents in 4 minutes.  Rope climbing is deceptively difficult.  It also exhausts your entire body unless you're actually strong enough to climb without using your legs.  I'm not that strong.

I had hoped to do a hero WOD yesterday in honor of 9/11.  But my body just wasn't up to it.  I did a shortened Murph as best I could.  Run 1 mile, 6 rounds of 10 pullups, 20 pushups, 30 squats, run 1 mile. 

At this point, I've done thirteen named workouts.  There are 57 on the list.  Forty four to go.

Helton and Stephen

Another day, and sadly another hero workout appeared on the Crossfit main site. U.S. Air Force Security Forces 1st Lt. Joseph D. Helton was from Monroe, GA, which is a town just an hour and a half away from me. Five more hero workouts have appeared since I took on this goal about a month ago. It's tough to have moving goal posts. I fully expected that more heroes would be added to the list. I didn't expect them to come at a rate of one per week. But all I can do is keep chugging through the list of workouts remembering how fortunate I am to be able to attempt them.

With that in mind, today I did the hero WOD "Stephen."
For time: 30-25-20-15-5 reps of
Situps on Glute Ham Developer
Back Extensions
Knees to Elbows
Stiff legged deadlift 95 lbs.
My time: 25:59.

Third Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry member Corporal Stephen Bouzane, 26, was killed by an IED strike June 20th, 2007 in the Panjwaii district in Afghanistan. He is survived by his parents Fred and Moureen Bouzane and his sister Kelly.

Early Festivus Feat of Strength: Randy

Festivus and my birthday arrived early this year.  Today I received my new Olympic bar and bumper plates.  Even though I didn't sleep well and thought that I should probably rest, I couldn't resist the smell of new rubber.  Such a wonderful Festivus present deserved an appropriate feat of strength.  So I did the hero workout Randy.

For time:  75 power snatches at 75 lbs.
My time: 9:52.
Yes, for some reason, Olympic lifting has very suggestive terminology.  But it isn't the only sport.  Take the football phrase for instance:  "muffed a punt."  Who comes up with these terms?

On a serious note, it is great to be thankful for new gifts and remember that there are things more important than weight lifting sets, like family.

My beautiful wife and her baby bump.

 Here's to Randy and his family.

In honor of Randy Simmons, 51, a 27 year LAPD veteran and SWAT team member who was killed February 6 in the line of duty. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Simmons' wife and two children.

Erin and a New Hero Workout

I've been struggling a bit to return from my 5 day layoff.  My legs have been very sore, which has limited my workouts a little.  My shoulder is also a little sore.  I guess this is to be expected 2 1/2 weeks out from my 37th bday.   But just in time to keep things in perspective, a new hero workout appeared on the crossfit.com site today:  "Severin."  Given that he was 43 and in the middle of a warzone, I'll count my blessings and do the best I can. 

I felt rested enough to tackle another hero workout - Erin.  This workout is a reminder that its not just Americans sacrificing everything in Afghanistan, but Canadian soldiers as well.  The work out is
5 Rounds for time:
40 lbs. dumbbell split clean - 15 reps
21 kipping pullups
My time: 17:48

Canadian Army Master Corporal Erin Doyle, 32, was killed in a firefight August 11th, 2008 in the Panjwaii District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Nicole and his daughter Zarine.

I guess it's too much to hope for that no new hero workouts will appear.

rest up and then Cindy

I had to take a few days off, 4 days to be exact.  I had been tired and lethargic.  I didn't realize it, but I had slipped into the realm of overtraining.  But after 4 days, I've come back energetic.

Today I did Cindy.
As many rounds as possible in 20 min of
5 kipping pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

I got 14 rounds.  Not very good.  My personal best was 18 rounds and 5 pull ups on 3/25/09.  But at least I'm back.

Angie

Yet another Crossfit post.

Angie:
100 kipping pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats

I did the sit ups on a roman chair down to parallel to the floor (not touching the floor).
Time:  28:38.  Sadly, not even close to a personal record, which was 22:29 on 4/8/09.

Field Trip Day for Griff

This morning I took a field trip to the local high school track for Griff, today's hero.

Griff:
Run 800 m
Run 400 m backwards
Run 800 m
Run 400 m backwards

Result:  14:19

Running backwards is deceptively difficult with respect to both coordination and leg endurance.  Two laps around the track is not enough to make running backwards feel natural.  And I was surprised at how fast my legs began to burn while running backwards.  The most interesting part was turning around for next 800 meter run.  My legs momentarily forgot how to run forwards.  Fortunately it was very early in the morning and I was alone because for a few steps I suspect I looked like a newborn just learning to walk.  It was not a terribly difficult workout because I couldn't run fast enough backwards to keep my heart rate elevated.  But with a bit of practice, this one could be intense.  But I'm not sure that running backwards is not particularly practical skill to devote a lot of time to.  So I'll let this one stand.

My opinion of the workout does not lessen my respect for a guy who sacrificed everything:

In honor of USAF SSgt Travis L. Griffin, 28, who was killed April 3, 2008 in the Rasheed district of Baghdad by an IED strike to his vehicle. Travis is survived by his son Elijah.

Nicole

Another Crossfit posting - Nicole

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of
- Run 400 meters
- Max rep kipping pullups

Results: 7 rounds of running and
Pullups - 20, 15, 12, 10, 12, 11, 8

Pull ups were harder than I thought. I didn't realize the running would take so much out of my arms. At any rate, another named workout completed. 6 down, 48 to go.

Daniel

Another for the Crossfitters (as if I had anyone at all reading this).

Today was for Daniel.
50 kipping pullups
Run 400 m
21 thrusters 95 lbs
Run 800 m
21 thrusters 95 lbs
Run 400 m
50 kipping pullups

Previous best (and only) was 29:04 on 11/18/08.  Today (8/16/10) was a new record - 26:15.  Thrusters killed me (as usual).  It was - I hope - an effort worthy of today's hero.

Dedicated to Army Sgt 1st Class Daniel Crabtree who was killed in Al Kut, Iraq on Thursday June 8th 2006.

 

Workout Progress Tracker

Goal:  Complete all the Crossfit "Girls" and Hero workouts as Rx'd starting Aug. 7th, 2010, finish by March 5th 2011.

Date		Workout	Time/Result
8/23/10	1	Angie	28:38
	2	Barbara
	3	Chelsea
9/1/10	4	Cindy	14 rnds
	5	Diane
9/17/10	6	Elizabeth	19:24
9/19/10	7	Fran	10:09
8/12/10	8	Grace	13:55
	9	Helen
	10	Isabel
	11	Jackie
	12	Karen
	13	Linda ("3 bars of death")
	14	Mary
9/12/10	15	Nancy	22:02
	16	Annie
	17	Eva
	18	Kelly
8/11/10	19	Lynne	Bench 165# -11,7,6,6,5 Pullups - 25,17,19,16,15
8/20/10	20	Nicole	7 rnds running, Pullups 20, 15, 12, 10, 12, 11, 8
	21	JT
	22	Michael
	23	Murph
8/16/10	24	Daniel	26:15
8/7/10	25	Josh	14:14
	26	Jason
	27	Badger
	28	Joshie
	29	Nate
9/7/10	30	Randy	9:52
	31	Tommy V
8/21/10	32	Griff	14:19
8/14/10	33	Ryan	30:56
9/5/10	34	Erin	17:48
	35	Mr. Joshua
	36	DT
	37	Danny
	38	Hansen
	39	Tyler
9/10/10	40	Stephen	25:59
	41	Garrett
	42	War Frank
	43	McGhee
	44	Paul
	45	Jerry
	46	Nutts
	47	Arnie
	48	The Seven
	49	RJ
	50	Luce
	51	Johnson
	52	Roy
	53	AdamBrown
	54	Coe
	55	Severin
	56	Lumberjack 20
	57	Helton

Grace and Ryan

Another posting for Crossfit Geeks only.

Did Grace on Aug. 12th in 13:55.  Grace is 30 reps of clean and jerk at 135 pounds for time.  There has been some debate about whether that means squat or power cleans.  Since most videos I've seen are of power cleans, that is what I did - power cleans and push jerk. 

Fast forward a few days.  I usually workout alone in my own dirty little warehouse gym.  But when you're going to tackle a tough workout, it definitely helps to have some company, if only because you'll be too embarrassed to cop out half way through the workout.   So I headed over to CrossfitAthens for a workout.  Adam Head is a great guy and has a great gym.  Anyone in the Athens area serious about getting in shape should visit him.   

I saw a pair of gymnast rings hanging in the gym and decided I'd try a muscle up or two.  (Muscle up?  Visualize doing a pull up and moving into a dip in one motion.)  They were amazingly easy.  In fact I did two in a row easily even though I hadn't practiced them in over a year.  So I made a fated decision:  do Ryan.

"Ryan?" you ask. 
To which I respond:
Five rounds for time of:

• 7 Muscle-ups
• 21 Burpees
Each burpee terminates with a jump one foot above max standing reach.

Named for

Maplewood, Missouri Firefighter, Ryan Hummert, 22, was killed by sniper fire July 21st 2008 when he stepped off his fire truck responding to a call. He is survived by his parents Andrew and Jackie Hummert.

 

 

It was epic.  The first round was a breeze.  Six muscle-ups in a row, a personal best.  The burpees were a litle tough but not too bad.  Then I began the second round.  It was like I hit the proverbial "wall."  I realized I probably wasn't quite up to this workout.  It was brutal.  Had I been alone at home, I confess I would have wimped out after three rounds.  But I pushed on and finally collapsed in a puddle of my own sweat half an hour later.  Official time:  30:56.  I've been wiped out all afternoon and haven't fully recovered yet.

I know many (including my wife) will think I'm crazy.  But the sense of accomplishment is directly proportional to the obstacle overcome.  Sometimes it's good for you to bite off a little more than you can chew and refuse to give up.

Here's to Ryan.  RIP

The Great Hunter and Lynne

Lisa doesn't sleep well these days and is frequently up for brief spells in the middle of the night.  Last night was no exception.  I have been sleeping like a rock lately (I attribute this to the diet), and I vaguely remember waking up when she got back in the bed after having been up for half an hour.  When I got up this morning, she said: "I'm pretty sure the boys caught a mouse last night.  So watch out for a mouse corpse."

 Sure enough, my boys had caught one.  Even my cats are Paleo.

Vito:  The Great Black Hunter

Vito is actually quite slow.  I'm surprised he caught this one.  Usually Carlito is the mouser.

WARNING:  This part of this post is recommended for Crossfit geeks only. 

Today I did Lynne, one of Crossfit's Benchmark Girls.  I haven't done this workout in over two years.  The workout is
5 Rounds for max reps.  No time component (unlike most Crossfit workouts). 

• Bodyweight Bench Press (165 lbs for me) - 11, 7, 6, 6, 5 = 35 total
• Kipping Pull Ups - 25, 17, 19, 16, 15 = 92 total

I rested roughly 5 minutes between rounds.  The bench press was a personal best.  The pull ups fell a little short of my previous best.  I chose Lynne because my legs are still smoked from the last workout two days ago.

Beefcake.........BEEFCAKE!!!!!

I have been touched by all two of my readers' concern over my new diet.  They are apparently concerned over my health and perhaps even my decreasing life span.  But their fear is unfounded because the risk of my diet is insignificant compared to my being a smart ass while having a pregnant machetera-wife. In all seriousness, I know the term "low carb diet" conjures the image of all-you-can-eat bacon for every meal.  But that is not in fact a "Paleo" diet.  So what exactly do I eat?

I eat meat.  Lots of meat.  But with a focus on lean meat:  chicken breast, london broil, pork loin, fish, and any hapless vegetarian that strays into my path.  But I also eat a lot of veggies.  All I can stuff down.  Most meals are accompanied by a giant bowl of spinach salad.  Breakfast is usually two eggs, more meat, and coffee (milk, no sugar).  I know, milk isn't paleo, but neither is indoor plumbing.  A modern cave man has to draw the line somewhere.

Organic veggies from that hippie Mecca - EarthFare.
Purchased by the pound.

Tonight's dinner: baked fish.  Alas, the vegetarian got away.

There is also an emphasis on grass fed meats if you can get/afford them.  They have been a little difficult to track down.  Game meat is also highly desirable.  (Come hunting season, I'll write a post that will teach you city slickers what it means to put the "hunter" back into hunter-gatherer.)  This is all due to the type of fats that these types of meat contain.  Many people have heard that fish has "good fat," which is omega 3 fatty acids.  Our typical diet is high in grain fed meat, which is high in omega 6 fatty acids.  The omega 6 is essential, but the modern diet is too high in omega 6 relative to omega 3's.  Thus, fish, game meat, and grass fed meat is emphasized to restore what the proponents say is a healthy and natural ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.   

All my reader(s) can relax.  Not only is my diet healthy, it's better than WeightGain 4000.

Josh

As I previously mentioned, I'll now try to explain my next goal:  completing Crossfit's Girls and Heroes Workouts as Rx'd.  Here's a brief description of Crossfit in general (from their website):

Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.
The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.

The program is an eclectic mix of running, rowing, gymnastics, kettlebell work, power and olympic lifting.  Sometimes heavy, sometimes high repetition endurance work.  The workouts vary each day, but there are a few "benchmark" workouts that will occasionally resurface so that you can gauge your progress.  They are named after some prominent female athletes from the early Crossfit days.  There are 20 Girls workouts.  The best part of this is that you can return to the house exhausted and drenched in sweat and loudly proclaim that you just did the heck out of Eva/Fran/Nicole etc.  I can assure you that my wife (Lisa) absolutely loves this aspect of Crossfit.  (please note sarcasm)

Crossfit is very popular among the military, law enforcement, and first responders in general.  The Hero workouts are named mostly after fallen soldiers/sailors/marines.  There are also a few firemen and policemen among the group.  These workouts are particularly difficult.  Generally, if a workout is too difficult, you can scale back on weight, reps, or rounds that the workout calls for.  My goal is to do the workouts as "Rx'd", in other words, exactly as stated on the website.  If you are familiar with the exercises and workouts, you'll realize just how difficult this goal is.  Some of the Hero workouts are brutal.  There are 32 of them in all.  There are three of them that I seriously question my ability to do as Rx'd.  But it wouldn't be much of a goal if it were easy.  Hopefully, there won't be any more added to the list.  But given the world we live in, it is likely there will be.  Of course, they get folded into my goal.  I wouldn't have it any other way.       


In all, there are 52 workouts.  Since, no action packed thriller is complete without a ticking clock, I need to set a time constraint for my goal.  The date:  March 5, 2011.  Why that date?  That's the day that I'm slated to become a first time dad.  And I suspect I'll be a little too preoccupied after that to effectively pursue this goal further, at least for a while.  So I need to average two per week to achieve my stated goal.

So today was my first workout - "Josh".  The workout:
For time:

• 95 pound Overhead squat, 21 reps
• 42 Kipping Pull-ups
• 95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps
• 30 Kipping Pull-ups
• 95 pound Overhead squat, 9 reps
• 18 Kipping Pull-ups

  My time was 14min 14sec, which is abysmal.  My personal best from January 2009 was 9min and some change.  The high rep pull ups killed me.  But at least I am underway.

Last but not least, and to keep things in perspective, Josh is not just a workout, but a soldier:
SSG Joshua Hager, United States Army, was killed Thursday February 22 2007 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

Starting Out

This blog is meant to document two of my goals.  Both are related to health and fitness.  The first is to document my life on the paleo diet.  The second is to complete all the Crossfit Girl's Benchmark and Hero workouts as Rx'd before March 5th.  Most people who are not interested or familiar with the Paleo diet or Crossfit will find this blog alien and excruciatingly boring.  Those that are familiar with the diet and with Crossfit will simply find this blog excruciatingly boring.  It is an attempt on my part to motivate myself by stating my goals publicly.  Or at least theoretically publicly, since it is likely that only myself and my wife will follow it. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the paleo diet, the concept is simple.  The idea is to eat a diet as similar as possible to the diet of our paleolithic ancestors.  We are genetically identical to them and therefore evolved just as they did to eat certain foods.  These foods did not include what most of us are currently eating and have been eating since the Agricultural Revolution occurred some 10 or 12 thousand years ago.  Namely, grains, dairy, refined sugar and legumes.  So yes, that means I do not eat bread, rice, potatoes (too starchy), any sweets, beans, milk, or cheese.

The "why"?  What sparked all this regarding diet?  A bout of chronic sinusitis and 3 sinus infections in six weeks.  The doctor's best response was to prescribe drugs, which I have been on for a year.  Finally a strikingly simple thought occurred to me:  there has to be a better way.  Do I have to take these drugs for the rest of my life?  Is this as good as it gets?

So I came across Rob Wolf's website.  He and others believe that many of our ailments are brought on by our diet high in sugar, starch, grains, and dairy.  The answer:  replace these foods with lean meats, vegetables, and fruits.  So I figured, what could be the downside?  My goal became to cure my sinus problems with the Paleo diet.  I've been ~85% strict Paleo for three weeks.  My weight is the same but I'm leaning out and gaining muscle.  I'm also sleeping much better.  And the constant drainage in my sinuses is better.  Some would claim it is due to my exercise regimen, but I was doing similar workouts when the whole sinus problem arose 15 months ago.  So far, so good. 

More on my next goal later.