Warm-up borrowed from CrossFit:

.3 mile run (This loop)
10 pull-ups (using the back of a deck stairway)
20 push-ups
10 overhead air squats
5/5 35 lb. kettlebell cleans (5 per arm)
10 bar shoulder rotation stretches (is there a name for these?)
20 second indigenous people’s squat
REPEAT 1X

Helen (for time):

.3 mile run*
21 53 lb. (1.5 pood) kettlebell swings
12 pull-ups
REPEAT for 3 rounds

Time: 19:35

(Ten seconds better than my modified Helen from a year ago!)

It kicked my ass. And yeah, all was done in my 5 fingers.

* Google Maps doesn’t go to a second significant digit, so my loop says .3 miles. I’m assuming this is closer to the truth than .25 (which is Rx Helen) as my first and second loops took 3 minutes each, which even though I’m a slow runner, is a bit too slow even for me (meaning I think it was closer to .3 than .25).

This morning I woke up and did a kettlebell ballistics bit to start my day – on the minute for five minutes, 5 53 lb. high pulls per arm. Then for five more minutes, 10 high pulls per arm (Total of 75 per arm). A brutal way to start the day.

Went to CrossFit in the afternoon and did a full CF warm-up. Then did the HQ WOD from a couple days back, which involved “shoveling":

30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 of:

• Bar with a 25 lb. plate on one end, lifting up and over a 24″ barrier (whereby each time it cross the barrier from ground to ground is a rep)
• Push-ups

The push-ups were the really hard part about this workout (so I thought). Still, was quite sore the next two days.

Started my day (this morning) with 10 minutes of light kettlebell drills using the wife’s .5 pood kettlebell (18 lbs):

2x, minute each:

• Single-hand swing flip catch
• ATB upper cuts
• ATB lunges
• Hot potato squats
• ATB uppder cut bounce (no idea what this is, just sorta made it up)

For CrossFit (this afternoon), did a full warm-up. Then did the HQ WOD, which was “Isabel” — 30 snatches at 135 lbs. I did mine at 95 lbs. Broke it down into sets of five and took 5:40 to complete.

Gonna go hacky sack for about 20 minutes to round out the day.

Did the HQ WOD and actually went to CrossFit Augusta (hadn’t been all week). The WOD today was “Grace", which is thirty 135 lb. clean and jerks. I scaled to 95 lbs. and rocked it out in 4:51.

Did the CF warmup, too.

Did an old CrossFit WOD (one that I didn’t do). First, warmed up doing kettlebell intervals a la:

• Wife’s .5 pood (18 lb) kettlebell, each part for a minute
• Around the body pass
• Swing and chest tap
• Figure 8 uppercuts
• ATB lunges
• ATB pass
• Swing/chest tap
• Figure 8 uppercuts
• ATB lunges
• ATB pass

That was the warmup - a nice one, at that. Took nine minutes total.

The CrossFit WOD was as follows (Rx was a 45 lb dumbbell - ouch!!)

• 21 per arm 25 lb. dumbbell power snatches
• 21 chin-ups, no kip
• 15/arm more dumbbell snatches
• 15 chin-ups, no kip
• 9/arm dumbbell snatches
• 9 chin-ups, no kip

Took me a whopping 18 minutes. The no-kip pull-ups were brutal. I just can’t kip when I use my VKR station – its just not built for it.

Later on Sunday, the wife and I went to a park and had a blast hacky-sacking. To make the hacky-sacking more fun, we added to it the ability to use the backsides of our hands to keep the sack moving. It sounds like a major way to cheat, but as someone who has kept a hack going by myself for almost 200 times straight (10 years ago of course), I found the addition refreshing. Being able to use your hands without catching is harder than it sounds and really expands the dynamic. It also makes it a lot more fun with others.

We started getting goofy and I tried to do a handstand. Hadn’t attempted any handstands in ages. Next thing you know we were having a competition. It was a great time and the wife took a gratuitous back shot:

I flipped it upside down to make it look extra impressive – you know, me holding up the world.

(As I write this on Monday, I note that my lower back and abs are officially sore – made for a good workout/playtime!)

CrossFit warmup.

Then, did yesterday’s CrossFit WOD today:

• Five rounds
• Max reps (I just set a goal and worked the goal)
• Body weight on bench / squat (I did both at 155 – bodyweight is 172
• Bench: 6 / 6 / 6 / 6/ 7
• Pullups: 10 / 10 / 10 /10 / 10
• Squat: 6 / 5 / 6 / 5 / 5

Afterwards, did a kettlebell interval session which consisted of 35 lb kettlebell swing and tap, around the body uppercut, and figure 8 lunges. Did five rounds of that with about 15 seconds of rest between each set.

Finally, did 100 jump ropes forward then another 100 backward.

Time for some salmon and brussel sprouts!

I did most all the CrossFit warmup to get started.

The Mothership¹ WOD was to run 3K.

Anyone who’s talked to me about fitness knows that I really despise any running that isn’t sprinting. I’m not a jogger and never have been. However, there was mass chaos in the gym today and Sonal wanted to run, so I caved. We were supposed to go 3K, which is approximately 1.86 miles. I honestly don’t know how far we went, but my time was 14:30. It was probably somewhere between 1.5 and 1.8 miles – will have to check next time I’m over there in the car.

Afterwards, I helped spot another gym member who was doing Rx’ed Linda (base weight being 185, you can imagine how that pans out! ouch!). During this time, I did some pull-ups (Kipped twelve out straight, maybe using butterfly kipping a bit for a few of them — need to figure out how many I can do straight — just for shiggles).

I felt sorta slack when I got home, so I quickly did 50 53 pound kettlebell upright rows and 50 53lb kettlebell military presses. Took maybe five minutes and made me feel a bit more worked out.

¹ CrossFit Headquarters. This is sort of a joke, and sort of not a joke. One thing I don’t particularly like about CrossFit is its innate borg-like feel with a prescribed workout that is fed daily to the masses. However, the founder seems keenly interested in spreading quality fitness and, though certifications can be expensive, doesn’t seem to be too monopolositically-minded. In other words, it seems more about the message/vision than the money, which results in the viral spread of the CrossFit idea.

To that end, you see sites innumerable sprouting up that spin their own versions of the WODs, and I don’t see any outcry. Furthermore, I could easily go out and buy the necessary CF equipment and just do the HQ WODs at home.

All in all, I borg qualities aside, the Mothership is kind to the masses!

Today marked my first day back in the CrossFit gym in about three weeks. Being a Friday, it was blissfully empty. Headquarters WOD was “rest day", so John suggested we take a stab at “Linda.” For the record, the prescribed Linda WOD is:

“Linda”

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight
Bench press: body weight
Clean: 3/4 body weight

As applied to me, that would mean a total of 55 repetitions Dead lift @ 255 lbs; Benchpress @ 170 lbs; Clean @ 127.5 lbs.

Right. I’m pretty sure my dead lift max to date is 255. And the same would likely be true on bench press. As for cleans, well the truth is that I’m a clean noob. I bet I could clean 125 once or twice, but as rx’ed? Not possible.

So here’s how I did Linda:

Deadlift: 135
Bench: 135
Clean: 65

Linda “light” as I am calling it. Took me approximately 26 minutes to complete. Wasn’t fun but probably could have done my cleans at 75 or 85, added another ten pounds to my bench and probably another twenty pounds to my dead lift. Next time!

Writing this up on Sunday, my hamstrings, back and chest are all thoroughly sore, so must have been a solid workout, regardless.

All of the below were conducted in a fasted state. My last meal was lunch yesterday.

Early afternoon — plank routine:

• 2 minutes per side, side plank
• 2 minutes regular plank
• Repeat regular plank for two minutes.

Here are two pictures of planks: side plank hits the obliques and regular hits the midsection/back. Pretty simple concept — great core workout:

Then, around 5:30pm I did CrossFit “Cindy” at CrossFit Augusta. Cindy is:

• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 15 air squats
• As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes

I completed 12 rounds plus an extra five pull-ups. I think this is one round more than last time. Yeah, not great, but not terrible either.

Finally, got home and decided to do a bit of weighted walking — walked three-quarters of a mile wearing my Camelbak, which I stuffed full of water as well as an 18 lb. kettlebell making for about a 25 pound pack. I was going for the low-intensity post-workout fat burn/cooldown as I just advocated on the main blog here.

Not sure if its adrenaline or what, but I feel sort of fired up right now. About to hop in the shower — making it a cold one, at that!

Abbreviated CF Warmup (Retrospectively brilliant, by the way). The worst CrossFit WOD I’ve experienced by far:

For time:
10 GHD Sit-ups (Video on what these are)
10 Hip & Back Extensions (Video on what these are)
95 pound Thrusters, 30 reps (Scaled to 65 pounds for me)
50 Pull-ups

30 GHD Sit-ups
30 Hip & Back Extensions
95 pound Thrusters, 20 reps (Scaled to 65 pounds for me)
35 Pull-ups

50 GHD Sit-ups
50 Hip & Back Extensions
95 pound Thrusters, 10 reps (Scaled to 65 pounds for me)
20 Pull-ups

Time: 32:52

It’s been about 30 minutes since I completed and I still feel lightheaded. I even questioned if I should be driving home after. Just awful.

Charlie rocked it out in 20:55 (@ 95 lb Thrusters) and he looked to feel about as bad as me while still completing it in two-thirds the time. Yeah, Charlie is also about to turn 50. Of course, he was Mr. Georgia or something once upon a time. Yeah, I’m just making excuses.

Both Charlie and Josh almost looked about ready yak during the WOD. It was that bad.

Glad it’s over with.

My time: 32:52