2010-01-22 06:00

CrossFit with Andy

Warm up:
Rowing - I am starting to enjoy rowing for the rowing itself.  I might do more with this…
3x:
5 Wall squats
20 Frankensteins
5 Dive bombers
15 Walking twisting lunges

Work out:
(sub’d 250m row for 200m run… still protecting the Achilles & PF but getting lots better)
For time: (50#?)
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
200m run
20 Thrusters
200m run
20 Squat Cleans
200m run
20 Push press
200m run
20 Pull Ups
200m run
20 Snatch balance
200m run

Time 18:41

This was a great workout.  I was looking forward to it from the minute it was posted last night.  By the time I finished the cleans my hips were really feeling it.  The trick here was choosing the right weight.  I can knock out 20 push presses with 85#, but 20 snatch balances with 45# was nearly impossible.  I sub’d overhead squats for snatch balance but it was very tough.  Hip drive is improving, but still lots of work to be done.  Also need to focus more on pull ups.  I’ll probably start making trips to the park on off-days just for pull ups.

So fun watching Andy’s crazy little pug Oatie running around and chewing up the place!

Aftermath:
Stretching, especially calves, PF, and Achilles tendons.  I can’t wait to get back to trail running and feel like I am almost there.
Quads and hips still a little sore from Wednesday’s workout, so this was especially tough.
Sleep is much better and I can feel the effects of that.

2010-01-20 17:30

CrossFit with Jonesy

Warm up:
Rowing - no more pain in the heels/PF, I’ll be back to running very soon.
5 sets/10 reps knees to elbows - crunches and situps are nice, but K2E do it for me.

Work out:
1) Choose your PR (2 or 3), I chose:
Baseline (4:56) - I have only Baseline’d once, when I started CrossFit on 2009-11-02.  That time was 5:48.  Major improvement in all phases of this in the past 10 weeks.
Max squats in 2 min. (62) - not that much fun 5 minutes after doing Baseline, but this is what I came here to do…
Max situps in 2 min. (61) - ditto…

2) Tabata Mash Up
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (55#)
Thrusters (55#)
- Repeat this sequence 8 times: 20 seconds of SDLHP, 10 sec rest, 20 sec of Thrusters, 10 sec rest

Total: 106 (68 SDHP, 38 Thrusters)

This was an awesome workout.  I pride myself on giving all I have and I feel like I did that here.  SDHP were pretty easy for me, but the Thrusters were a bitch.  Always amazing how quickly that 10 sec. rest passes…

Aftermath:
When I got to my car, I discovered that one of my consulting clients left a panicked voicemail about a time-sensitive issue that I needed to resolve.  Not the ideal post-workout situation but handled quickly enough.

In general I am feeling a lot better - my sleep has improved and I am much more energetic.
Needed some major calories after this workout.

2010-01-16 09:30

Mixed it up with a 30 mile bike ride at the beach, total time just under 2 hours.  Good workout, probably burns a lot of calories and minimal stress on the connective tissue.

Feels so good to be able to ride and ride and ride without my back aching.  Also a great way to clear my head.

CrossFit Sunday…?  Or perhaps just a rest day in preparation for Monday snowboarding…

2010-01-15 06:00

CrossFit with Andy P

Warm up:
Rowing
3 rounds of:
10 Scorpions
Twisting walking lunges

Shoulder press 3-3-3-3 - progressed from 10 reps down to 3, max weight 85#

Work out:
12 Rounds for time of
(alternating rounds with teammate Tristan)
250m row - tried to keep up with Ingrid, AKA, “the Machine”.  Averaged about 0:57 for each round.
11 KB swings - used the green, will do blue going forward.  Fatigue set in and this became very difficult.
6 pull ups - black band, this was easy at first and with fatigue, very difficult.

Time: 23:48?  Perhaps Tristan can correct me, I forget.

In summary, this workout was very demanding but remained fun.
I am close to being able to complete workouts like this with no assistance band for pull ups.  Need to keep pushing myself and improve stamina.

Aftermath:
Stretching at home; flexibility is improving markedly with regular and methodical stretching.
Minimal sleep again last night.  Something’s gotta give.
Beat down, broke, and ‘bused.

It’s interesting to me that I used to be able to do 10 reps of seated shoulder press with 135# (at a bodyweight of close to 200, I’m about 155 now) and now I’m doing 3 reps standing with 85#.  Where did the strength go?  I guess the fat I was carrying was pretty strong stuff (ha).  In any case, the whole assembly is working a lot better at 12% bodyfat than it did at 24%.

2011-01-14 06:00

CrossFit with Jonesy

Warm up:
Rowing (PF and achilles almost back to pain free so being careful and avoiding running)
10 min jump rope/10 pushups each time rope stops (50 pushups for me) - this started very easy and became quite difficult over time.  Jumping when cold is not good for my PF/tendonitis but WTF, do it anyway and stretch later.  Almost pain free now.
“Relay Race” - Crab walk + forward roll + bear crawl - Forward roll was SUPER fun.  Hamstrings started cramping in crab walk (quite common after having someone drill holes in your spine).  Still, a fun little race.

Work out:
AMRAP in 20min
10 DB push press (30#) - not a big deal at first but fatigue made these challenging.
15 Jumping pullups - easy.
20 Squats - piece of cake, mental exercise as much as anything.
400m run (sub’d 500m row) - still protecting the feet, the row is tiring but not difficult by itself.

Rounds: 4.25

Aftermath:
Did some stretches at home (hamstrings, calves, Achilles)
Tired and sore all over.

Early workouts are tough for me, but since I haven’t been sleeping well the past few weeks anyway (maybe 3-4 hours per night due to a bit of a disaster in the ol’ Personal Life) it’s been a bit easier getting up/in to CFLA.

These workouts are tough but are precious to me.  When people asked me how I felt before having the fusion, I often described it as feeling like I had a healthy upper body and healthy legs sitting on top of each other but not connected, like being cut in half at the waist.  That’s not the case now.  The simple pleasure of doing a “forward roll” without fear of hurting myself was worth the suffering.

Peace

2010-01-13 06:00

CrossFit with Michael

Warm up:
Rowing (PF and achilles almost back to pain free so being careful and avoiding running)
3x:
Turkish get-ups - never done these before, what a cool exercise.  Worked up to 25# and could have done more, but still getting used to the movement.
10 Frankenstein squats - man, my hip power sucks.
10 Box jumps - 24” is pretty easy but this did start to irritate my PF.  I love box jumps as exercise.

Work out:
3x for time (did these all with 65#):
10 Power cleans - first set was easy, but fatigue made sets 2 and 3 a bit tougher
10 Front squats - I really want to improve my hip drive so I gave this my all.  I think I could have done more weight but I am still tentative with squats.
10 Jerks - my chest/shoulders have always been relatively strong (compared to the rest of me), so this was easy, except for the nagging bursitis or whatever is going on in my left shoulder.  Still, very managable.  Could have handled another 10+#.

Time: 12:19 (I think)

Aftermath:
If my physical therapist knew about this she’d have a fit.
Did some stretches at home (hamstrings, calves, Achilles)
Legs are a bit tired but the shoulder and everything else feels pretty good.
I am not a fan of early AM workouts but this one was good.

After lurking here for a while, it’s time to start posting.

I had lumbar spinal fusion surgery on 2009-01-29 and started CrossFit on 2009-11-02.  My baseline time was 5:29 (I think).  Last year involved about a month of post-op rest, followed by a few months of PT, and then gradual increases in activity including cycling, running, weights, and now CrossFit.

The surgery involved cutting me open just below my belly button, about a 4” vertical incision.  They installed a carbon fiber cage between my L5-S1 vertebrae, and then put a titanium plate and 4 bolts across the front of the L5-S1 joint.  It’s locked in tight and the bone has grown through, and the doctors have cleared me for anything I care to try.

Everything is working and feeling pretty good, but I am still quite weak compared to where I would like to be.  Especially my hip strength (squats).  I am also battling some overuse injuries, mainly plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, and some soreness in my left shoulder that has come on over the past month.  It limits my pushups but is improving.