Dope on a Rope

OK, so I can only imagine that the day I actually climb a rope...what a glorious day that will be...for now though I scale, and I scale hard...

WOD
Five rounds of:
15' Rope climb, max reps in 3 minutes

Scale to - Grab Rings overhead, start in squat position, jump & touch chest.  3 reps = 1 rope climb rep

Reps
42 - 35 - 33 - 36 - 34

So I imagined myself burning out by the third round, but I was actually able to power through this one OK.  Kevin gave us some amazing stretches to do afterward, which likely save my wrists, forearms, and chest.  He said we likely couldn't tell, but the compression of our chest to get up to the rings was intense, and without the stretch we would feel it hard (I'll likely be feeling it hard no matter what).

Also a great warmup today.  I feel more confident rowing, especially for shorter spurts like 500m.  I average around 1:50 per round, but depending on what else is in the warmup I easily go over 2 minutes (I didn't pay attention to the exact times today).  Here's what we did:
(2 Rounds)

500m row
10 Pushups
10 GHD Situps
10 Hip Extensions
10 Overhead Squats (PVC)
10 Pullups (Scale to Ring Rows)

All in all a decent Monday.  With tomorrow being a rest day I might ask to do one of the previous metcons, as I'm itching to tackle a big one that is way out of my comfort zone.

I need to get some bonus posts in about some amazing things I've been reading, on the web in general, but more specifically in the Crossfit Journal.  If you haven't subscribed yet it will be the best $2 a month you ever plunked down.  More on this soon...so many directions to choose from.  I've been nerding out on this shit hard.

For now...peace...

THE HICCUPS WOD

I was actually fired up to come into Crossfit today but it turned into a bit of a blase day.  I got a lot out of the workout skill-wise, but I didn't push the weight at all (I hadn't done half of the exercises before) so it was more of a skill-builder than a typical skill day workout.  We had the option of doing Wednesday's WOD, since CF NYC was closed that morning from the snow storm.  But I opted to stay on task...I guess going into the weekend it would have been a better choice to do the Wed WOD...either way, here was what I did:

(5 Rounds)
Hang Clean
Clean
Push Jerk
Split Jerk

Hey...HCPS...the HICCUPS WOD!  I'm such a fuckin nerd...

Weight: 65 lbs.

Now I've done 100+ lbs on push jerks before, but I wasn't going to make the mistake of thinking that automatically translates to cleans.  So I started with 65 and felt good about just staying there.  It was just enough weight to emulate proper form, but not too light to feel like I wasn't getting a workout out of it.  All in all I was happy with my progress on the split jerk, but it was a lighter day at Crossfit for sure.  One thing I was psyched about was that during the warmup I tried an assisted pullup and I actually came up 3-4 inches, using the largest assistance band.  I'll get there...fun to check in on the pullups from time to time...after that I just hung from the bar a few times.

I had a 2-3 minute staredown with the support beam that I did the handstand against the other day.  The beam won...I'll try again on Monday ;-).

Handstand and Deliver

This is sort of what I looked like today

So I walked up to Sara to talk about today's warmup:

Handstand attempt (x3)
Tripod / Frog Stand (10 secs)
10 Ring Rows

Obviously with the handstand attempts I figured I would do pike pushups since there's no way I would be attempting handstands for who knows how long.  So I asked if the pikes are OK, and Sara immediately said "hands on the floor".  Before I knew it I was kicking up to 45 degrees, then on the second try...WHOA...holy shit I freaked out...I was upside down!! And then I panicked and sloppily flipped over.  But I DID IT.  Can't wait to get more comfortable doing it...seems just like the GHD situps and Forward Rolls and anything else that involves being inverted during the exercise.  Fear is the only inhibitor.  I'm used to dealing with that...man how cool would it be to not have to scale on the handstand pushups.  Crazy...

WOD
Three rounds for time of:
6 Muscle-Ups
30 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
12 Handstand push-ups
135 pound Power clean, 15 reps

Time: 29:52

Scaling:
65 lbs. on the Power Cleans
6 Jumping Ring Dips + 6 Ring Rows in place of Muscle Ups
Pike Pushups for HSPU

Felt pretty damn good getting through another metcon.  Looks like bigtime snow tonight...I hope the first train gets to the city ahead of the curve...then again I probably should consider a shoveling WOD to make sure my wife can get out of the house after I leave...I guess that still leaves two days for me to get to CFNYC this week.  Damn I'm addicted...

Skill Day - Snatch Balances

So the skill days have proven to be very helpful in really getting a sense of where my strength is at with each exercise.  A lot of them are still my first attempt, so I've been starting slow with the weight.  With the exception of push jerk and front squats I haven't been going too high in weight, which is fine by me.  But when I'm able to push a little bit without getting crazy, I welcome the challenge.  I realize that as long as I can maintain solid form I can comfortably explore higher weight and really get a ton of benefit.

The last time I did snatch balances was part of my second vacation WOD in Morristown, and in retrospect I didn't really do them very well because I didn't get nearly the amount of immediate speed on the way down that I should have.  It was more of a slow descent, and it seems the essence of the snatches is an explosive, near immediate shift to get the bar over you, or in the case of snatch balances get under the bar.  Kevin said the entire purpose of the snatch balance is to build confidence and strength getting immediately under the bar.

We started with a warmup:
2 Rounds:
500m row (moderate pace for form)
10 GHD situps
10 hip extensions
5 Handstand Pushups (scale to pike pushups)
10 OH Squats (pvc)
10 ring rows (feet elevated)

I got a decent sweat going, and had to scale ring rows because I can't get full reps when my feet are off the ground.  These 500m rowing warmups have been getting easier. Had a nice chat with Anthony (one of the CF regulars) WHILE we were rowing.  If you came up to me in November and tried to talk to me while I was rowing I would have vomited all over you.

WOD
Snatch Balances
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

45 x3 (warmup w bar)
55 - 65 - 75 - 75 - 85 - 85 - 95

I feel great about getting 95 lbs.  The movement was a lot easier with the weight than actually getting the bar in position on my upper back...I was fighting to not have the bar position take away from the movement itself.  This time I was mostly successful...

Onto tomorrow.  I feel a nasty metcon coming on...bring it!!!

Belting It Out...

It's absolutely crazy that just over two months ago I still hadn't ever done a WOD, hadn't given up pizza and cake...mowed candy on Halloween, drank 4 cups of coffee to get through a day, and in the blink of an eye here I am cutting hole #2 in my belt just to keep my new, smaller pants from falling down when I walk three steps.  One hole for each month I've been easily able to get up early, get my ass to Crossfit, and spend the day still eating a bunch, but just filling my menu with delicious, Paleo-friendly choices.  Can the progress keep chugging at this pace?  If so by summertime I'll be a size 40 for the first time in over 15 years.

I welcome the hard work.  Just tonight I was hanging out with my son and, where I'd usually melt into the couch toward the end of the day I decided to crank out 30-ish pushups with him riding on my back.  He was having a laugh riot and I was psyched to get my body up off the ground more than a handful of times.  I remember trying pushups last fall and it was embarrassing...I was incapable of doing five...makes me think of that scene in Stripes when Bill Murray can barely do five.  He could do more than me!! Yikes!

Anyway it feels damned good, and if you're happening upon this blog and you're wavering in any way over the decision to do Crossfit and/or Paleo, I can't reiterate enough how life changing it becomes in such a short period of time.  Here I am about to go to sleep at 9:11 on a Saturday, when I usually stay up late and sleep in on Sundays (my one day to do so).  I've been reading enough about the necessity of good sleep that this is my one chance to get a full nights worth of shuteye...and I'm taking advantage.  Lack of sleep is the one sacrifice I'm making in this situation that will likely take away from my benefits over time.  See, in order to get to Crossfit NYC from where I live, I get up at 4:10 AM to catch a train at 5:15 into the city so I can make the 7:00 WOD.  Doing this 3-4 times a week allows for an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night, plus whatever power naps I'm able to crank out on the train.  Physiologically speaking I'm sure this is horrible.  But when faced with more sleep or the chance to make it to Crossfit...well I guess I'll just have to live with that sacrifice.  What kills me about it is that everything I read says that a full night's sleep (7-9 hours) is the most crucial part of an intense workout regimen like this.  Check out this amazing graphic about sleep...really hits the nail on the head, and scares me that the majority of my sleep schedule is in the "WTF" column.

So another weekend rant (and a little more of high-fiving myself) hits the books...thanks for the comments people!  Keep the feedback coming.  It's amazing to meet all of you along the way...feels great to know there are a bunch of folks out there as addicted to this whole thing as I am.  What a bunch of friggin nutjobs we are :-).

Peace...

Kicking Ass & Braving the Elements

Today's WOD felt GREAT!!!

It was snowing in NYC but that didn't stop most of us from running down to 6th Ave and back for the run portion...got a lot of support along the way and ended up a lot farther than I planned.  What a great end to a 4-WOD week.  Loving it...

WOD: "Rankel"
AMRAP in 20 minutes:
225 pound Deadlift, 6 reps (scaled to 135 lbs)
7 Burpee pull-ups (scale to 7 burpees then 7 jumping pullups)
10 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood (scale to 24 kg)
Run 200 meters

Final Tally: 3.8 rounds (one more run would have gotten me four but I ran out of time with two KBS to go)

You can't help but love the support of the Crossfit NYC crew.  Every time someone passed me on the runs (and they ALL passed me I can assure you) they all had words of encouragement...taking time out of an intense part of their workout to say "keep it up Reis" - "nice work Reis" - "get after it Reis".  It really works in such a big way.  And everyone is so approachable when I have questions about form, or just finding out about them as people and their own experiences with Crossfit.  It's getting tougher to stay away on rest days (but I know those are as necessary as the WODs, and frankly an extra hour of sleep is gold right now).

Excited for a weekend with my family.  I barely see my son during the week, so I'm taking him for pancakes in the morning (Dad gets his egg whites & black coffee :-).  End of the month I'm going on my first snowboard trip in over five years...I feel like CF/Paleo has been an intense training session for the endurance required for three days of solid boarding.  Can't WAIT!!!

I'm sure I'll have some more ramblings during the weekend...until then...peace...

I Did Fran!!!

That's right people...she's been playing hard to get for a while since I started Crossfit, but Fran just couldn't stay away any longer.  Yup...I did her, and there was barely anything left of me when I was finished...man she's tough!

Warmup:
I hung from the bar 3x, which by itself is super-tough for me at my current weight.  My hands get shredded so quickly.  But I tried to hang on long enough to start working on the back and forth that will help me eventually get to do kipping pullups.
Also several stretch exercises with the group (death stretch, wrist work, spinal twist)
5x ring rows (3 rounds)
10x kettle bell swings (16 kg - 2 rounds)

WOD:
"Fran"
3 Rounds for time:
Round 1 - 21
Round 2- 15
Round 3 - 9

Thrusters (RX'ed at 95, Scaled to 75)
Pullups (Scaled to ring rows)

Time: 8:08

Sara said she would stop us if we went over 10 minutes...the people in the 6:00 class were coming in anywhere from 4-8 minutes, so I don't feel like I lagged too far behind the pack.  I feel great that I at least have a reference point, and surprisingly I'm not fried from doing Fran today and the front squats yesterday.

Looks like I rest tomorrow...I'll likely be back on Friday though...it's tough to stay away!

Peace...

Frontin' Some Weight

Today was a skill day for the Front Squat.  I remember going over this exercise in Elements class, but I haven't done them as part of a WOD.  I had no past performance to go by, so I figured I'd start light and see what happens.  Knowing that squats and lower body stuff in general is one of my stronger areas, I looked forward to
getting the weight up there (if the form didn't cause any pain like it did unexpectedly for the last Back Squat WOD).

Warmup:
30 jumping jacks
25 lunges (in place, alternating legs)
leg & wrist stretches
20 PVC shoulder dislocates (est.)

95 lbs. x 6 (getting my feet wet before setting my first weight)

WOD (RX'ed as "Front Squats:  3 -3 -3 -3 -3"):

115 - 135 - 145 - 165 - 185

Once again I feel like I left a little weight on the table.  But I felt great holding my form once I got up to 185.  I need to work on shoulder flexibility so I can get (and keep) my elbows obscenely up during the squat.

I cashed out with 30 jumping ring dips, which were going well until I finished and I noticed that my forearms were scraped up pretty good from the straps holding the rings...I need to figure out something to guard against this next time...maybe a couple of those leather spiked forearm guards that the guy from Judas Priest wears...

Feelin great!

Getting Easier...

Shout out to my good buddy Elliot from the 6:00 class...an inspiration to say the least...

Warmup (x2):
500m row
20 PVC Overhead Squats
8 Handstand Pushups (scale to pike pushups)
10 GHD situps
10 Hip Extensions

I finished the rowing in 1:59 and 2:11 respectively.  I'm really starting to be able to feel the warmups as exactly that.  I used to feel like I would do two workouts per session, but now my body is starting to gain strength and capacity I didn't have before.  Two months ago this warmup alone would crush me.  Today it got my blood pumping and I broke a sweat, but it was completely manageable.  I stopped the 2nd round of GHD situps because I used my upper body too much 1/2 way through, and paid the price...almost pulled something.  I think I'm going to ask for more help on form with those.  I'm most excited to get GHDs happening almost daily.

WOD (as RX'ed):
3 rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Overhead squats, 75 pounds
21 Pullups

I scaled to 65 lbs. for the squats and ring rows for the pullups. I walked some of the way on the runs, once after I ran through a random lady's cigarette cloud...nice...good morning to me...

Time: 32:05

Sometimes it's the smallest changes that make the biggest impact.  I completed today's metcon, scaling and all.  Was it one of our hardest?  No.  Did I give it everything I had?  Yes.  Did I finish and collapse to the floor like a weeping, sweaty pulp like after most of the past metcons?  No.  I didn't.  I just took a knee for a few seconds, got up, grabbed my bag and hit the showers.  There...that was IT.  Did you see that?

I'm getting stronger.  I can feel it as I get deep into the WOD.  The ring rows were hard for sure.  But I did five at a time in the third round...even a month ago on the third round of anything I would be doing one at a time.

It feels great to really start seeing the difference.

More to come tomorrow...

Milestone

Every fat person remembers the day they had to put on a size 50 pair of pants.  It's like you're crossing over into some crazy land of acceptance...a place you don't want to be, but you couldn't fight your way out if you tried. It feels just as shitty as it sounds, but you keep your composure and keep going...after all, you're past the point of no return. Why even fight it? It's this milestone that has you convinced deep down that this is it.  This is you, and enjoy the days you have because there's a reason pant sizes don't go to 60, even in the big & tall stores...

Yesterday I went shopping for pants. I stared at the label for a minute after I knew these were the ones that fit...50/30. It wasn't a typo. There it was...the ever-dreaded milestone. Wow...

Thing is...my pant size back in October?

54

There are no shortcuts.  Crossfit is no joke, and some of the hardest work I've ever done.  But at this point I crave the WODs that are going to tear me down and build me back up stronger and healthier than I've ever been. Paleo was no picnic in the beginning, but now you could wave a huge plate of pasta with sauce in front of my face and I truly would have no desire.

This is our one life (perhaps until the next one, but that's another discussion). We DO control our destiny and getting out of the abyss IS possible. When every small step is a huge one, it takes everything you have to move your journey in the right direction. But here I am...just a couple months after starting the journey, and I can tell you first hand that this is truly amazing...