Jay's Fitness Travels

Front squats

2009-05-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Workout:

Front squat

3 (40 kg)

3 (60 kg)

3 (80 kg)

3 (100 kg)

3 (110 kg)

110kg - 242 lbs

Short post today, my keyboard is partially broken. Hopefully get new one by Wed

Mike

2009-04-24T03:13:00.000-07:00

Workout:

Michael

3 rounds for time of

run 800m

50 back extensions

50 situps

Finished in 25:38

Harassed by the trainers at the gym for dropping my barbell. My new gym sucks!

Off to Ireland today! Might try to workout at Dublin Crossfit.

DEADlift

2009-04-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

Workout -

Deadlift

1 (100kg)

1 (120kg)

1 (140kg)

1 (160kg)

1 (180kg)

1 (190kg)

1 (200kg) - miss

1 (200kg)

Finished with a 440lb deadlift, which ties my best, so I'm happy that my strength is still good.

Unfortunately I think I overdid it on the first day! In addition to this, my warmup was...

1300m row

2 rounds of

20 pushups

10 one legged squat (attempts)

10 handstand pushup (attempts)

10 pullups

10 situps

10 back extensions

10 overhead squats

PLUS, I played basketball for an hour at lunch, and 2 hours of softball after work.

I'm freaking exhuasted! It's listen to my body time. I'm skipping the morning workout today. If I feel better, I'll go this evening, but I'm only doing the warm up. More than likely I'll just skip and go tomorrow.

Back bigger and better

2009-04-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been a long time since I posted here. Many things have happened and travels have been had.

Some highlights

Decided to stay in London, moved to a nicer part of town, and am loving it
Have visted Switzerland, Amsterdam, Rome, and heading to Ireland this weekend
Got down to 243, but now back up to around 258 after not working out seriously for about 4 months. :(

That about sums it up....I'll try to interject a bit more life stuff in future blogs. For now, the reason for this post.

Inspired by the extraordinary progress my mom has made doing crossfit, we have decided to embark on a challenge.

Over the next six weeks (finishing June 1), we each have 5 goals...whomever reaches the most goals over that timespan will win.

Jason:

10 handstand pushups
30 pullups - chin above the bar - can't come off the bar
2000 meter row - 7:30
10 one legged squats

Read one month per week of the crossfit journal

Mom:

10 pullups
400 m run - time 1:34
10 ring dips

perfect overhead squats - video taped

Read one month per week of the crossfit journal

Over that same timespan, I have a co-worker who was talking smack to me about how he could do more pushups and pullups than I can. I told him to bring it!

As a result, I have a second challenge for June 1

-Pull-ups - most without dropping off the bar. Standard is chin above
bar
-Pushups - most without stopping (stopping is putting your knees on the
ground) - standard is chest and thighs touch the ground to full
extension at the top

This guy was talking a lot of crap, and being a real punk until I actually challenged him, so I'd better be able to back up my talk....I can't wait!

My plan is to do crossfit everyday for the next 6 weeks, with some focused effort on the skills required for the challenge. I also plan on zoning it as far as eating goes, with as many paleo choice foods as possible. These goals are challenging, especially because I've never done any of them before, but I think it's possible.

Can't make any promises about posting frequency, but I'd like to spruce up the blog a bit and post more often, so those of you still reading will have something to look at.

Post your thoughts to comments, is this too ambitious?

It's time

2009-01-30T00:13:00.000-08:00

Agree with my sister, It's time to stop making excuses.

More new Lows!

2008-12-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

Weight: 244.6

Workout:

Saturday Dec 13 -

Nasty girls (modified) -
3 rounds for time of
50 squats
7 muscle ups - subbed 21 pushups instead
135 lb hang power cleans

Finished in 12:40

My gym was getting renovated, so no pullup bars for the pullups/dips which normally sub for muscle ups.

Sunday Dec 14
3 rounds for time of
24 in box jumps - 30 reps
185lb deadlift - 21 reps
30 pushups (subbed again for pullups)

Finished in 18:42

Monday Dec 15
Run 10k
Finished in 53:28

Record time for the 10k by about 5 mins. That didn't make it any better....running a 10k SUCKS!!!

Also, besides a couple of cheats, I've been sticking with the paleo diet pretty consistently. I am hoping to get under the 240 mark by xmas.

New low and New PR!

2008-12-10T02:14:00.000-08:00

Weight: 246.6 (New low!!)
Workout: Annie
50-40-30-20-10 of
double unders
sit ups

Finished in 12:42 PR by 1.5 mins!

Pushed myself hard on this one, and was really hoping for sub 10, but my double under technique wasn't the best, and slowed me a lot.

FYI, my warmup included 30 ring dips again. I'm developing some nice bruises on my triceps from where the rope rubs against my arms...battle scars!!!

Looking forward to taking my new cardiovascular ability to the basketball court at lunchtime today.

Food -
9:30 - eggs, mixed fruit
1:30 - ground beef, spinach
4:30 - raisins, nuts
8:00 - shrimp, spinach

Clean and Jerk and more rings

2008-12-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Weight: 248 lbs
Workout:

Warmup - standard warmup with ring dips subbed in for regular dips. Ended up doing the full 30! Not in a row, but still, more than ever before.

workout - Clean and Jerk 7 sets of 1, started at 60kg (135) and finished at 95 kg (210 lbs)...tried 100kg twice, but failed

Food:
11:30 - fish and cabbage
3:40 - raisins, nuts
7:00 - spinich and beef

Doin the rings

2008-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Weight: 249 - cheat day
Workout:
as many rounds as possible in 20 mins of
15 pullups
15 ring pushups
15 back extensions
15 GHD situps (subbed regular situps)

Finished 4 rounds.

This workout requires a glute ham developer, which my globo-gym definitely doesn't have, so I just used the subs. The hardest part of this was the ring pushups (the pullups sucked too, but I knew they were going to suck). I wasn't all the way horizontal, because I could only manage 1 or 2 of those in warmups. I'd say I was at about a 30 degree angle, and it was still pretty brutal. I was excited that I managed to find a place to hook up some rings, though, and I did ring dips in warm up.

I should say, I've never done more than 2 ring dips, and today I did 10!!!! They were ugly, but I did them! I'm going to start bringing rings every day and do ring dips instead of regular dips in my warmups, and hopefully I can get a muscle up before too long.

Food -

10:00 - scrambled eggs and mixed fruit
12:30 - chicken, mixed veggies, banana
4:30 - mixed nuts/raisins, banana
8:00 - salmon and cabbage.

Side note, I "helped" in a crossfit introductory course yesterday in London. Overall it was a good experience, but I don't think I'm going to work with that trainer anymore. I have a specific style I like to train with, and I don't think his and mine are really going to mix well. On the other hand, I did find a guy who is keen and on the verge of opening a crossfit gym in central London, so I'm going to see if I can get on board with that. I already have several friends who would be interested in joining!

Marathon workout

2008-12-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

Weight: 247.6
Workout:

Subbed 3 pullups and 3 dips for 1 muscle up

For time:
100 squats
2 muscle-ups (6 pullups, 6 dips)
80 squats
4 muscle-ups (12 pullups, 12 dips)
60 squats
6 muscle-ups (18 pullups, 18 dips)
40 squats
8 muscle-ups (24 pullups, 24 dips)
20 squats
10 muscle-ups (30 pullups, 30 dips)

Finished in 39:08

If you're counting at home, that's 300 squats, 90 pullups, and 90 dips! I could barely move my arms after this one! Definately not one designed for a big guy.

Anyway, I normally would have cheated a bit, and subbed 1 pullup and 1 dip for each muscle up, but I really wanted to get it right, and I eventually want to be able to do muscle ups (essentially a pullup and a dip on rings), so I attacked it today. It hurt (a lot), but I am stronger for it, and I feel like I'm building some mental toughness just by doing these types of things.

Food:
9:45 - eggs, mixed fruit
12:30 - chicken, kale
4:00 - nuts, fruit
5:30 - 10 - guinness, fries, chicken, cookies (it was cheat day)

Almost a new low

2008-12-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Weight: 247.8 (getting close to a new low)
Workout:

Five rounds for time of:

50 pound dumbbell walking lunge
10 alternating steps
50 pound dumbbell swing
15 reps

Finished in 7:43

Good workout today. It felt easy at first, but it got hard very quickly. Those guys at crossfit seem to know what they're doing :)

Food:

9:45 - eggs, mixed fruit
1:30 - haddock, mixed veggies, banana
4:30 - mixed nuts, raisins, banana
8:00 - chicken, kale
9:14 - baked apple with raisins and walnuts (YUM!)

Hoping for a new low tomorrow! Tomorrow's my cheat day though, so I'm going to raise it a bit after dinner. I gotta say, the cheat meal really helps you get through the week. I know I can have whatever I want at least one day a week. Also, I can drink, which is kinda a big deal in the UK!

Fran PR!

2008-12-03T03:39:00.000-08:00

Weight: 249
Workout:
Fran

21-15-9 reps of
95 lb thrusters
pullups

Finished in 8:39 (New PR!)

Fran is one of the benchmark workouts for crossfit, and today I finished it faster than I ever have before! The funny thing is, I think I could have done more. I rested a bit too much during the workout, and could have pushed for more reps every time I touched the bar. Next time, I hope to get less than 8 mins.

Last time I did this workout, I was in a crossfit gym surrounded by trainers encouraging me and watching my form. This time I was on my own, so I put a lot more credence into my time today than before. I was pretty exhuasted at the end, and my lungs were absolutely burning.

I can't wait to do it again!

Food:

8:45 - eggs, sausage, mixed fruit
12:00 - fish, kale, banana
3:30 - mixed nuts, raisins, apple
8:30 - haddock, mixed veggies

The press

2008-12-01T02:25:00.000-08:00

Weight: 251
Workout:
Overhead press
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Started with 60 kg, finished with 77.5 kg (170 lbs)...missed 180 twice.

I'm a bit concerned that my press has gone done about 18 lbs since the last time I really did it. The warmup I do uses a lot of shoulders, so that might have affected it. I may have to start tweaking my diet a bit to maximize performance so I don't lose strength with my weight.

Food:

9:30 - scrambled eggs, 1 sausage, mixed fruit

This morning, I woke up at 6 as usual to go work out. My wife woke up at the same time, not to work out, but to make steaks for my lunch and dinner so I would have something to eat!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there's no way I can do this without her....she's the best!

Tabata

2008-11-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

Weight: 251 - yesterday's cheat meal coming back to me
Workout:

"Tabata Something Else"

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

Post total reps from all 32 intervals

Total - 274

Personal best by 29 reps! It's been a long time since I have done this one, but it was nice to see a personal best anyway.

Food

2:00 - scrambled eggs, walnuts, raisins, banana
4:00 - raisins, Brazil nuts
7:00 - salmon, brussel sprouts

Didn't wake up until 11am due to a late night last night, so didn't eat as much as I should. Will make up for it tomorrow.

Dropping like a rock

2008-11-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

Weight: 248.8 lbs
Workout:

Deadlift:
3(120) - 3(140) - 3(160) - 3 (170) - ~~3(180)~~ (only managed 1.5)

This was in kilos - 170 kg = 375 lbs

Food:

8:30 - chicken and kale
12:00 - sushi
2:30 - nuts and raisins
6:00 - nuts and raisins

9:00 - CHEAT MEAL!!!! (woo hoo!)

Today is cheat day...technically cheat meal day. We're going out for steak and a show. I'm so excited!

On a side note, this paleo diet is hard, but the results are tremendous.

Some of the benefits so far

as the title said, my weight is dropping like a rock, and I can feel it.
workout performance is greatly increased. My long warmup is getting easier and easier, and my recovery time is very quick
I am able to concentrate throughout the day, and for a longer periods at a time. My work performance is greatly improved
my skin seems to be getting better
did I mention my weight?

My wife is seeing similar benefits, and we're thinking this might be a long term diet change for us.

Nate

2008-11-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

Weight: 251

Workout:

"Nate"
Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups

4 Handstand Push-ups

8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings

Did 9 rounds and 2 pullups/dips, subbing dips/pullups for muscle ups, and HSPU to a target for normal HSPU.

This wasn't as bad as yesterday, but the kettlebell swings were really heavy.

9:15 - scrambled eggs, mixed fruit, 1 sausage
12:30 - steak and sole, salad with apples
3:30 - banana and mixed nuts
8:30 - chicken and kale
9:30 - banana

I think upping the protein really helped the hungry/tired feeling. I feel much more "with it" today. I should really watch the ratios of food a lot more closely.

My weight has dropped 8 pounds in a week, but I know it's mostly water. The paleo diet eliminates salt, and I end up drinking a lot more water, so my body is adjusting. It's a nice feeling though, I definately feel leaner and trimmer.

Mr Joshua

2008-11-26T02:48:00.000-08:00

Workout:

"Mr Joshua"
Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps

finished in 39:55

No Glute Ham machine so my situps were done on a decline bench.

This workout SUCKED, my hands are all jacked up from the deadlifts, and my runs got slower and slower throughout. I broke the 15 deadlifts in each round into 3 sets of 5, and I honestly wondered how the hell I was going to get through 75 of these after the first set. I managed to do it though, yelling louder and louder as the workout went on. I finished it though, so I'm better for it.

My performance and focus was pretty good today after two days of paleo, but I would also add that I only got 6.5 hours of sleep, could barely drag myself out of bed, and slogged through the first two rounds of the warmup. In retrospect, it's amazing I was able to pull that performance out of my body!

Anyway, I got to work late as a result of the late start, so I missed the hot breakfast upstairs. I ended up pulling together what I could at the coffee shop, which isn't much.

10:15 - all fruit smoothie, banana, 2 packets of mixed nuts and fruit
1:30 - shrimp, fish and kale
4:00 - mixed nuts/fruit, and an apple
8:00 - steak, sole, salad with apple and pine nuts

Still paleo, but no protein. I'm feeling tired and weak. I need to eat more!

Slept like a baby!

Day 2 of paleo and Lynne again

2008-11-25T03:10:00.000-08:00

Workout

"Lynne"

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups

Bench was 100kg (220) – not quite my bodyweight, but hopefully it will be soon!

2/12, 2/12, 2/7, 2/10, 2/9

10 reps of bench at 220, 50 pullups

I would have liked to get more on the bench, but I’m not entirely surprised. I had my usual long warmup which involved lots of dips and pushups, and it may have made my arms tired.

Anyway, how about the pull-ups! I did 50 pullups in 5 rounds, wheras last week on a similar workout I only managed 51 pullups in 6 rounds! I’m also noticing that my head is further above the bar than it had been. I suppose all this hard work is paying off! Usually it’s my grip that gives out on pull-ups, and I’ve noticed that since I’ve really started pushing myself, my forearms are pumped up and stiff after the workouts. I suppose they are getting stronger!

Also, I’ve noticed that my performance on the warmup is improving. I’m able to do my 3 rounds without stopping to rest in between.

Food for today – still sticking with the paleo diet

9:00am - scrambled eggs, 2 sausages, mixed fruit
12:15 - salmon, kale, apple
3:30 - mango, mixed nuts, dried fruit
5:00 - mixed nuts, dried fruit
8:00 - sole, kale, fruit
8:30 - mangoes

I'm starving for carbs right now....mouth-wateringly hungry. I must say that I'm feeling quite smug about my new diet though.

Catching up and the Paleo Diet

2008-11-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

Workouts:

Tuesday - 8/18 -
Push Jerk - 7 sets of 1 (max lift) started at 60 kg, finished at 95 kg (210 lbs)

Wednesday - 8/19 -
Nicole - As many rounds as possible in 20 mins of
Run 400 m/max rep pullups
6 rounds
pullups - 8,8,9,8,8,10 = 51 pullups

Friday - 8/21 -
Run 5k - 33:30 SLOW!!!

Haven't worked out since then (effectively skipped a cycle).

Ok, so I have been working out reasonably consistantly, but my weight and general well being have only improved a bit. I can do a lot more pullups, but I still feel lethargic and bloated. Therefore, I have decided to finally give in and change my diet dramatically. I'm no doing the Paleo diet, which is the recommended crossfit diet. It is very, very basic, but it's not so much a diet as a way to eat.

Here's the diet, in a nutshell.

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds,
some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep
intake to levels that will support exercise but
not body fat.

I'm doing all but the last sentence. I figure if I cut out carbs and the normal crap I eat, I should be able to eat whatever I want (at least for a while). I'm not going to regulate food or dictate when I eat for now...I'm just going to eat.

I'm told there is a withdrawal period in the beginning, as your body gets used to not having so much sugar (apparantly we're all addicted to it), so I'm going to keep a log of my food/feelings for the next 2 weeks while I adjust.

Today's food

10:45 - mixed nuts, banana, apple
1:00 - spinach salad with cucumber, corn, 2 boiled eggs
5:00 - banana, mixed nuts and fruit
8:00 - salmon with pine nuts, lettuce, lemon juice
10:00 - a bunch of grapes

Looking at the food above, I know that I'm not going to eat enough to sustain anything at this rate, so I'll have to step up the intake tomorrow.

I can't lie, I'm hungry and craving carbs tonight. I think the evenings are going to be the hardest for a while.

Helen

2008-11-17T01:52:00.001-08:00

Workout: ‘Helen’

3 rounds for time of
Run 400m
21 1.5 pood kb swings (I ended up using 1 pood because our gym didn’t have 1.5)
12 pullups

Finished in 13:30

I worked very hard on this one, and I’m happy with the time, even if it wasn’t my best time ever. My forearms had the ‘pullup pump’ going at the end, it was cool.

As for my 18 straight days…well, I missed a day on Saturday, so I took 2 days off. To be honest, I needed it, but that’s not the reason I missed it….I made up for it by hitting the gym extra hard today.

day 2 of 18

2008-11-14T10:06:00.001-08:00

Workout:

Five rounds for time of:95 pound Hang Power Snatch, 15 repsRun 400 meters
finished in 23:54

Worked hard today, even though I can barely walk down stairs after yesterday's squat-a-thon.

I'm weighing in this weekend, so wish me luck!

3...2...1...GO!

2008-11-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

"Jason"
For time:100 Squats5 Muscle-ups
75 Squats
10 Muscle-ups
50 Squats
15 Muscle-ups
25 Squats
20 Muscle-ups
Finished in 27:59 - replacing muscle ups with pullups and dips

I skipped a workout the other day…I got up early, had all my stuff ready, looked at the workout and said “there’s no way I can do this”, and decided to skip it.

It was weak…a totally weak move. I just need to get up and do it….the pain is part of the experience. If I had done it, I would have been so much happier with myself. This is not going to happen again.

To that end, I’m going to be doing the crossfit.com WOD for the next 18 days…starting today (with the workout mentioned above).

This means ANYTHING!!! Including the 15k I saw a few months ago (although I REALLY hope this doesn’t come up in the next 18 days)

For my mom

2008-11-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

Weight: 256.8

this post is for my mom, who emailed me to say "Are you gonna post!"

Well, I've been working out...here's my routine from the last two days

Wed -
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Pull-ups
65 pound Thruster, 10 reps

completed 4 rounds

Admittedly, I dogged it a little here. I might have been able to do 8 rounds if I was really pushing, but I was feeling like crap, and the accomplishment today was completing the workout (I really really wanted to quit)

Thurs -
"Lynne"

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press - I did 100kg (about 220 lbs)
Pull-ups

1st rd - 3 bench, 7 pullups
2nd - 3 bp, 8 pullups
3rd - 2 bp, 7 pullups
4th - 2 bp, 6 pullups
5th - 2 bp, 6 pullups

Both of these workouts were done after the official "crossfit vallejo" warmup...which is the workout I posted Oct 30.

My eating wasn't perfect, as I ended up having sandwiches for lunch and dinner today, but I feel a lot better after two days of full on workouts.

2 days in a row

2008-10-31T00:41:00.000-07:00

Weight: 256.8 (still bad)

Workout:

Warmup
3 rounds of
10 one legged squats
10 situps
10 pushups
10 squats
10 dips

Not much workout today, but I got moving again, which is what's really important. The diet was much better yesterday as well, and should improve again today.

Not quite fully back, but getting there

2008-10-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Weight: 258...not good

Workout: I actually worked out today!

5 mins warmup on rower

3 rds of

10 sec sampson stretch each leg
10 shoulder dislocates
10 good mornings
10 overhead squats
10 situps
10 back extensions
10 pushups
10 pullups
10 dips

This was actually the warmup for crossfit vallejo when I went there a few weeks ago, but it's a workout on it's own!!. An actual workout like the ones I've been posting would follow....but it was enough for today.

After an awesome visit to California which included 5(!!) workout days out of 7, I have been super lethargic upon my return. I think it's a combination of the weather here in London, the depression from missing my friends/family, and the jetlag...as well as my lameness in letting those things slow me down.

My engine is starting to warm up though, and I'm looking forward to revving it at full speed soon!

FYI, I'm still in London, and I'm staying until the end of the year for sure. I'm in negotiations to stay for another 2 years.

Back on the horse, but it isn't high

2008-10-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

So I'm back on the horse. My mother and I have decided to have a friendly competition to see who can get closest to their goals by Dec 25.

I'm trying to lose roughly 25 lbs, and she is trying to lose 15. So far, so bad. I have eaten reasonably well, but haven't made it to the gym yet. Tomorrow is the day though, I'm committed to hitting the gym 4 days this week, and I have 4 days left to prove it. Wish me luck!

What happened?

2008-09-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

Weight: 252.8

Workout:

4 rounds
Run 400 m, rest 2 mins.

time each round separately.

1:15, 1:30, 1:33, 1:27

Pushed myself pretty hard on this one...wanted to quit several times, but it ended up okay.

So, what happened? Why have I stopped making progress for so long?

I could make all sorts of excuses about moving to another country and changing jobs, etc, but that wouldn't be totally honest. I think there are two real reasons.

I started to shut it down sometime in December before I came here. I think it has something to do with the 250lb milestone. Once I hit 250, I became a bit too self-satisfied. I was feeling better than I had in years and was able to do things I hadn't been able to do for a long long time (playing basketball, running 5k's, pullups, etc). It was the point where I decided that it was "good enough".
It's hard to admit, but I wonder if I actually have some fear of success. I feel like I have the discipline needed to do it, and the knowledge required, but there's something missing. In the back of my mind I wonder what is going to happen if I actually reach my goals. What will I do then? I've had this same goal for as long as I can remember, and it's been hanging over my whole life in almost everything I do. Once that's gone, who will I be? Do I even want to find out?

Project 238

2008-09-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

Weight: 253

Workout:

10 pushups
10 situps
10 squats
10 rounds
Finished in 22:10

Hello again. It's been a while since the last post. Since then many things have happened. Here's the rapid fire points.

gained/lost exactly 0 pounds, though I'd have to say I don't feel nearly as healthy as I did earlier in the year
travelled to Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Paris (again), Prague, and Ibiza (Spain)
signed up for scuba diving in Egypt for October
started playing soccer and basketball once per week each!
we've decided to stay in London for another 18-24 months
visited the emergency room with stress-related symptoms (don't worry, I'm okay)

The last point has me especially concerned and wondering why I haven't been keeping up with my workout plans. I have some thoughts about that I'll share tomorrow.

For now, I'd like to announce Project 238!

The idea here is to get my weight down to 238 by October 12th, when I fly back to the US for a friend's wedding. Why 238? because I haven't been below 240 since I was in my early twenties. It also represents a goal that seems distant but reachable. If I am diligent with my diet and workouts, I feel a man of my size can lose 15 pounds in 6 weeks time.

In the past, I've made proclaimations like this and in the back of my mind felt like I didn't really have a chance to reach my goal. Now that I have a bit of weight loss history behind me, I feel like I have a real shot at it. I'm also more excited about the prospect of feeling good trying to reach the goal than the goal itself. These shifts in attitude make me feel like this is really achievable.

London 5k

2008-06-23T03:07:00.000-07:00

Weight: 253

Workout: run 5k

finished in 27.37

Not my fastest 5k, but faster than the last time I ran it. It is my first day of vacation, and I got to sleep in, then run the 5k with very few people around along the Themes. I have a competitive 5k coming up in a few weeks, and I am hoping to do it in 27-28 mins, so this is a good sign!

Now if I could only get in control of my eating....

Crossfit Total!

2008-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Weight:

Workout: Crossfit Total

Back squat: 3*1 rep - 150.5, 165.5, 168 - (370 lbs)
Shoulder Press: 3*1 rep - 80.5, 85.5, ~~87.5~~ - (188.5 lbs)
Deadlift: 3*1 rep - 180, 203, ~~210.5~~ - (447.5 lbs)

Total - 1006!!!!

I know it's been a while since I blogged. I have been working out a lot lately, and I thought it would be a good time to check in. Today was unbelievable! I hit personal records in all 3 of my crossfit total lifts and topped 1000 for the first time! The most shocking was the shoulder press. I haven't really focused on shoulders per se, but I have been doing a lot of burpees, pushups, etc....Anyway, this was one of the best results I've had in a while.

I can't wait to see what else I can do!

quick hit

2008-05-07T21:59:00.001-07:00

I completed Elizabeth again yesterday in 11:29. I'm getting there!

Gnarls Barkley

2008-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Have you all heard the new gnarls barkley album?

It's as good or better than the first, which is saying a lot!

Elizabeth and Carmon

2008-04-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Workout today was "Elizabeth" Which is.

21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips (substituted regular dips because there are no rings at my gym)

I finished in 12:41, which isn't bad, considering yesterday's workout took me 27 mins.

Got more stares at the gym running back and forth between the clean bar and the dip bars. I'm hoping I don't cause too much attention and get kicked out of there soon.

That was the morning, in the evening we went to an opera, which was awesome! It was the first time we had seen an opera (we're trying to get more "culture" while we're in London), and we had a really good time. It was at the Royal opera house, which kinda cracks me up because every other building is named Royal something around here. We live pretty close to Buckingham Palace, so maybe the queen goes around and just anoints things as Royal whenever she pleases. :).

The opera was Carmen, which is one of the more well known ones, and we recognized a lot of the songs from commercials and movies (i know, it's sad). The production value was really great, with a huge cast and a few different sets. They even had a horse and two donkeys on stage at one point! It was a lot of fun and I'd highly recommend it.

Here's a video preview of Carmen

Nancy

2008-04-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok look, i know I haven't posted for a while, and I know I have said that on my last few posts. What can I say? I suck!

If there's anybody still out there reading this blog, I hope to reconnect with you and continue to share my story.

Lots of news. First of all, I haven't been working out as much as I'd like, but I've recommitted myself lately and have been doing the crossfit workouts on my own. Today was Nancy, which is

5 rounds of 400m run
15 overhead squats with 95 lbs.

I finished in just under 27 mins. It was one of those workouts I could do without getting too noticed at the gym, but the people who did see me were giving me strange looks. One guy tried to talk to me, but I was too busy running around and nearly falling over with exhaustion to engage him.

The other big news was that we went to Barcelona last weekend. I've got to tell you, it rivals Paris in loveliness. It's an awesome place to visit, and the sunshine felt great!

Pics below.

From Paris to CFO

2008-03-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

After two days of intense soreness after the certification, I finally made it back to Crossfit Oakland for the first time since I've been in town. It was really great to be back working out with people who take it seriously. It was also nice to get some quality coaching after being on my own for so long. I ended up working on my cleans (both power cleans and full squat cleans), and back squats. Mike, the owner of CFO, was nice enough to videotaed my squat cleans so I could see what I was doing. they didn't look too bad at all! I have a few things to focus on, but I was surprised at how far along I've come since the first day I walked in the gym.

Workout was 5 sets of 5 reps of back squats. I started at 95, and ended with 275.

Going back tomorrow for some Helen

In other news, here are some pics of our trip to Paris. Paris is an amazing city, the architecture, the weather, the food, the laid back attitude....it was just awesome! My wife put this compilation together and did the quotes, so ignore her smarmy comments about the beautiful landmarks of Paris. She pretends to not like the "touristy" things that we sometimes do when we visit a new city, but she always wants to do them. :)

Holding myself accountable

2008-03-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Weight: 249

Workout: Fran (among other things)
21-15-9 sets of thrusters (95 lbs) and pullups

Finished in 8:55 - a full 4 mins 1 second faster than last time! By all accounts, a huge improvement. I'm blown away by this!

Note that this was done during the Crossfit certification that I'm currently attending. I'll have more info and pics on that later.

Also, we went to Paris last weekend, but more on that later as well.

I needed to get something up because I realize that I haven't been holding myself accountable for my results. Also, I have dropped off the blogosphere, and I miss the connection with everyone who reads and comments. There's really no excuse for me not reaching my goals other than I haven't really be focusing on them and holding myself accountable. This blog is how I've done that in the past, and how I plan to continue doing it.

Recently I've been thinking, this year has the potential to be the best year of my entire life so far. I'm planning travels all over Europe and Africa, I'm saving money for a house, I have real shot at a big promotion at work, and I'm currently in the best shape I've been for 7 years. My life is changing for the better, and I feel like the plateau I'm currently experiencing is my old self trying to hold on to some semblance of control. It's time to let go of that old self.

Why don't I blog?

2008-03-05T13:13:00.001-08:00

Weight: ?? - tomorrow

Workout:

50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

finished in 40:08

I finished 14 minutes faster than the last time in January. 14 MINUTES!!! That's insane! I'm feeling pretty good about that one. The burpees are still the worst though.

Anyway, I've been thinking about why I don't blog more often. Basically I blog when I do well, and don't blog when I am not working out. I don't really know how I feel about that. I don't want to come in with a blog complaining about how bad I'm doing...but I don't like feeling so disconnected from things by not blogging, either. Looking at the blogroll, it looks like other people have the same problem. I wonder if it's better to try and face the problem through the blog, or only check in when things are going well.

Still going

2008-02-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

Weight: 247.2

Food:

8:30 - porridge, protein powder, raisins, almonds, yogurt
12:00 - indian food - chicken curry, rice, lamb
4:00 - banana, macadamia nuts
7:30 - steak, asparagus

Workouts:

Feb 22 -

Four rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
50 Squats

finished in 13:45

10 seconds slower than my wife! She's amazing!

Feb 26

Shoulder press
5 sets of 1 - started at 50kg, finished at 72.5 kg (160lbs)
Push press
5 sets of 3 - started at 60 kg, finished at 80 kg (176lbs)
Push jerk
5 sets of 5 - started at 50kg, finished at 60 kg (132 lbs)

feeling pretty weak yesterday for this, and my shoulders are definately sore today afterwards. Not too disappointed, but I have definately done better in the past.

Feb 27

5 rounds of time of:

400m run
50 squats
30 back extensions

finished in 20:38

Beat my wife today...woo hoo! She was speeding up at the end though, and if there had been another round, she would have caught me. I need to pick up the pace! I'm really glad she's there to help push me though.

Full Squat Cleans

2008-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

Weight: 246.6 (another new low!)

Food (today):

9:00 - porridge with protein powder, raisins, almonds, and yogurt
12:00 - fish and snap peas, and a banana
3:30 - macadamia nuts, a banana, 3 pieces of cheese
7:30 - mexican bean chili
9:30 - yogurt, macadamias

Workout:

7 sets of 3 full squat cleans

started with 40 kg, finished with 70 kg (155 lbs)

This is the first time I've ever done full squat cleans. It was nice to be able to do them, but my form is not good. Usually I just do power cleans, because I didn't have the flexibility in my shoulders to do full squat cleans before. I'll definately be working on this with the trainers in Oakland when I go back to visit.

Front Squats and Annie

2008-02-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Weight: 249

Food (today):

9:00 - Porridge with protein powder, raisins, almonds and yogurt - 5 blocks
12:00 - pasta with salmon and onions - 5 blocks
4:00 - 4 macadamia nuts, cheese, banana - 2 blocks
7:00 - beef, broccoli, and a small tart - 5 blocks

17 blocks - not bad, but not quite the 19 I was going for.

Workouts:

Monday -
Annie -
50 - 40 - 30 - 20 - 10
rep rounds of:
Double unders (jump ropes)
situps

Finished in 14:34

If I can get the timing down on the double unders, this time will drop dramatically.

Tuesday -

Front Squat - 10 sets of 1 rep

started at 40.5 kg (90 lbs), finished at 120.5 kg (265 lbs)

you might recall from a previous post that I have historically had trouble with the front squat. Not today! Not only was I doing it correctly with my wrists holding the bar on my shoulder, but I was getting below parallel and keeping my heels (mostly) on the ground! I was actually doing it closer to the "right" way! By doing it this way, I set a PR, and I think I could have done more!

Needless to say, I was very excited. :)

Ok, time for a silly little story that made me laugh. Every morning, my wife or I writes down the workout, and also makes up a warm up for that workout. Usually it's just some stretching, followed by some very brief cardio and a few sets of different exercises. For the cardio, we usually either do 200 jump rope skips, row 500m, or run 400m. It's just enough to get the blood flowing. For today's workout, my wife wrote the warmup, and for the cardio part she wrote "run 400k". I told her we probably didn't have time to run 250 miles today. :)

Fran again, and more running.

2008-02-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Weight: 247
Workouts:

Friday Feb 15
"Fran"

21-15-9 reps of
95 lb Thrusters
pullups

Finished in 12:56 (new PR)

As Geoff mentioned, Fran is a tough workout. It's also one of the benchmark workouts for crossfit. It lets you know if all the work you did since last time is paying off. The fittest among us finish it in 3 mins! I've got a long way to go to get there, but I finished 3 minutes faster than the last time.

A pic snapped after finishing Fran.

Some interesting features to note in the pic.

I tend to work out with my shoes off where possible. One problem I have is keeping my heels flat on squats. I can't really feel if they're flat in running shoes, so this helps.
The squat rack behind me is basically the only piece of gym equipment we use in our globo-gym. It has a rack and some pullup bars on it. We use the aerobics room whenever possible to avoid drawing the ire of the gym staff. Very few people come to the gym in the mornings, so it's usually not a problem...but still, we're paying 47 pounds/month for a squat rack, some weights, and an empty room?
usually I'm laying flat on the floor after a workout, so I guess my recovery time is improving :)

Sat Feb 16
Run 5k

finished in 28:21

I probably should have taken a day off today. After some heavy drinking and indian food yesterday, I wanted to make sure I kept the momentum going and did the workout anyway. It was a new route, and a lot slower than I would have liked. I was practicing the pose running technique, and it seems to really help reduce the impact on my knees. With more practice, I think it will help me run faster with less effort.

Here's a video on the pose technique, and part 2.

I haven't been posting my meals, but I've been doing really well on those this week, sticking to a strictly zone diet for all meals except for last night (my cheat meal). Should I start posting those again?

Happy Valentines day!

2008-02-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Weight: 247.2 (nice new low)

Workout:

Randy
75 power snatch, 75 lbs

Finished in 9:26

I think this is the first workout I've finished in under 10 mins....woo hoo! Tomorrow is another opportunity to do it again with Fran (maybe).

This year was the first year in a long long time that we have done anything special for valentines day...Generally I like the concept of the holiday (loving your mate), but I don't like the execution (buying a bunch of crap to make card companies rich). Anyway, we had some filet mignon and a really nice salad, with a glass of wine. Not only was this a delicious meal, but it is Zone approved! Anyway, just a really nice evening. She's really awesome.

Also, over the last weekend, we went to Cotswald and Oxford. It was really nice. Cotswald is a classic "small British town", and Oxford is the site of the first college in the UK. Both towns were really amazing. Oxford has paintings and sculptures from some of histories most famous artists, and they're just chilling in the churches and dining halls. The whole University was like a museum!

Anyway, here are some pics of our day. They don't really capture everything, but they should give you some idea of what it was like.

Nate

2008-02-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

Weight: 249

"Nate"
Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings (32 kg, 70 lbs)

I did 7 rounds this morning, substituting 6 pullups and 6 dips for the muscle ups. I can't really do muscle ups in the gym, as there are no rings, and no place to hang my rings. (a bit of an excuse, because I haven't done a muscle up yet anyway)

I'm back on the zone diet at 19 blocks per day, and I'm looking forward to seeing some results over the next 6 weeks.

Hi there

2008-02-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

Weight: 250.3

Hi there. It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd check in.

Things are going well over the last few weeks. I'm still working out, though not as consistantly as I'd like. This has been offset by somewhat poor eating and drinking. I've also been having a few back issues because I'm spending so much time working in front of a computer. Interestingly enough, I did some squats this morning to work on my form, and my back felt better for most of the day afterwards.

I'm eyeing March 21st for my return to the US for a couple weeks. Will be preparing the next 6 weeks to get ready for my crossfit training on that day.

I look forward to seeing some of you in Oakland when I get back! I'll do a better job in posting more going forward.

100 posts!

2008-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Weight: 249.4

Workout:
Tuesday -

As many rounds as possible in 20 mins of
5 Handstand Push ups
10 L pullups
15 steps, walking lunge

Managed 7 rounds

I did pretty well on this one. The handstand pushups were to a target which was further down than I've done before, and the L pullups were more pullup than jump this time (L pullups are hard). The rounds were less than last time, but I'm happy with the result.

I've taken two days off because I was feeling a bit sick, and last time I worked out when I was sick, I got much worse. I plan to be back at it tomorrow!

Anyway, on an unrelated note, here's a video my wife took from the bus we ride every day.

Nancy

2008-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Weight: 250.4 (i found a scale with lbs)

Workout:

1-19-08

"Nancy"

5 rounds for time of

400m run

95 lb overhead squat

Finished in 23:15

1-20-08

Deadlift

7 sets of 1

Started at 122kg, finished at 194.5 kg (427 lbs)

No workout today...overslept, or more specifically, went to bed too late

Things are generally moving in the right direction. We're working hard in the gym, and seeing some decent results. Our diets could have been better over the weekend. We need to be careful about falling into our old 5 days on 2 days off habit.

So far, so good at the gym though. We haven't gotten too many weird looks, although the deadlift workout was probably strange to watch (not many people do deadlifts at the gym, especially heavy lifts). Our goal is to get our workouts in without getting kicked out or reprimanded. Those of you familiar with crossfit know that this is a real possibility in a commercial gym. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when we try to do rounds of handstand pushups and L pullups.

Anyway, here we are after "Nancy"

First london cycle.

2008-01-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

Weight: 112.5 (248 lbs) - new low!

Food:

9:00 - porridge with protein powder, almonds, raisins
1:00 - mexican chili
4:30 - banana, macadamias, cheese
9:00 - chicken, celery, rice

Not enough meals today!

Workout:
Lynne -

5 rounds:
Max reps bodyweight bench press followed by max reps pullups.
benched 90.5 kg = 199.5 lbs

bench/pullups
5/6 - 4/4 - 3/4 - 3/3 - 4/4

not a bad performance, although I did more in bench last time. I didn't have the confidence in my spotter today to do much more...but I did more reps than last time anyway, so it's probably a good thing. I'm gradually getting my weight down to a reasonable level to actually do the bodyweight part :).

This represents the first time I've completed a cycle since coming to london...I'm so proud :)

Finally weighed in

2008-01-15T23:46:00.000-08:00

Weight: 113.4 kg (250 lbs) - woo hoo!

Food:
8:00 - Oatmeal w/raisins, almonds, and cottage cheese
12:00 - chicken and rice
4:30 - cheese, banana, macadamia nuts
8:00 - mexican chili-like stuff

Workout:

Run 5k. 32:15 with lights and helping to pace my wife

Went to mapmyrun.com and mapped out a route which took us through Westminster and along the Thames. It actually turned out to be 4.55 k, because we didn't turn back at the right place.

I think I could have run faster, but I wasn't too concerned about time, since this was the first run in London. Plus, we had to wait a while for stoplights, etc.

Since we were running, we didn't really take any pics, but we're going to have to next time. We ran by Westminster Abbey, Pariliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Shakespeare theater in just the 4.55k! This is pretty cool city :)

Filthy 50!

2008-01-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Weight: tbd

Food:
11:00 - sausage biscuit
1:00 - chicken and carrots
5:00 - macadamias, cheese, banana
8:00 - chicken and rice

Workout:
Filthy 50

This one is a beast, and a tough one to get back in the swing of things with.

50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

finished in 54:04

The thing that always gets me is the burpees. It took me 12 mins to do that alone. I felt pukey and nausious during it...just like a good crossfit workout should feel!

I'm gonna bring an extra 20 pense to the gym tomorrow to make sure I weigh in. I'm hoping I like what I see (fingers crossed).

Walkin round

2008-01-14T13:01:00.001-08:00

Weight: ???

Food: 9:00 - Porridge (no oatmeal here) with raisins, protein powder, almonds
12:00 - chili with squash and a bit of potato
3:30 - cheese, macadamia nuts, apple
7:00 - chicken, carrots, green beans
9:00 - yogurt, macadamias, cheese

Workout:
Finally went to the gym!
21-15-9 of free squats and pushups

finished in 3:40

It was a day off for crossfit, but we wanted to get a workout in after warming up and messing around in the gym's facilities. It wasn't much, but it got my blood going, and it felt good to get back to it. Back to the normal workouts tomorrow. I'll weigh in at some point, but the gym charges 20 pense for a weigh in, which means that it has to really be worth it. :)

We found a bus which goes directly from my gym to my job. This means that even though the gym opens at the "late" hour of 6:45, we got a workout in and I ended up getting to work around 8:30, which is about 30 mins earlier than 95% of the workers in London! Seriously, they don't screw around here. They get to work at 9, take an hour lunch, and leave at 5 sharp! On top of that, they get between 25 and 30 days of vacation per year! I could get used to this.

One thing I've noticed is that we do a LOT of walking. The public transit system is really good, and most people don't have a car, but you end up walking a lot, because you get lost, etc. Here are some pics of our neighborhood....nice place for a stroll, right?

Coming back around

2008-01-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I haven't worked out since the last blog, and I've been eating/drinking like crap as well. I could bore you with excuses, but I'll save the drama fo yo mama! It's time to get it going again. It's not quite like starting all over again, but with the long hiatus, it feels pretty much like starting over again.

The good news is that my commitment hasn't waned, just my motivation :). Here's some of the things I've done in the name of fitness the last few days.

We've joined a gym. One workout in the pitiful excuse for a gym in my building and we had to find another solution. This one is pretty decent, sorta like a Gold's gym in the states. It's considered one of the cheaper gyms in London, and it still costs 49 pounds/month. For those of you scoring at home, that's almost $100/month. I'm sure glad I'm not paying for anything. here's a (poor) pic.

Another trip to whole foods for some prod-juice. In the tube one day, I saw an ad that told me I should eat "5 servings of fruit and veg per day". Since I don't really know the laws here, I'd better do it!!! Don't want to run afoul of the bobbies! :)

I've signed up for a crossfit certification for March when I come back to the states for a week. It's the first step towards becoming a crossfit trainer. It's not that I'm fired up to become a trainer, but I want to stay involved in crossfit, and it's also a commitment to continuing crossfit until then so I don't embarass myself. There's also a possiblity that a Crossfit will be starting up near me, and I'd like to be involved if it does.

The workouts start again tomorrow. Revised goals to follow.

Another jetlag day

2008-01-06T23:44:00.001-08:00

Weight: 115.4 kg (254 lbs)
Food: Journal to start again this week

Workout:
10 x 5 back squats - ended with 75.2 kg (165.2 lbs)

I woke up again at 2:30 am today and ended up reading the first part of Starting Strength, which is all about squats. I worked out at 6:3o, and fortunately, the WOD was squats. It was actually front squats and 10 sets of 1, but the crappy little gym had no squat rack, and very limited weights, so I worked on back squats with the weights they had, and the new knowledge I had gained from Mr Rippetoe.

I'll tell you, the difference after reading that first section was huge! I now have a good strategy for how to do squats properly. I have gotten it right before, but not on a consistent basis. I'm pretty happy about that.

I'm also going to have to find a gym, and soon!

Some thoughts

2008-01-05T19:33:00.001-08:00

Hello again all,

So I'm up at 3:30 am here...i'm not doing a great job with jetlag.

here's some random thoughts

1) I found a gym that I think is going to work...It's just about the only place in the city with a decent selection of free weights. 2 drawbacks, it opens at 6:45, which is about an hour later than I'd like, and it's a bit of a hike to get there. It's only .5 miles away, but in a city like London, that can seem like forever! I'll join it next week if I don't find any better options

2) I've been eating like crap! What's up with that? I think it's because I don't have a scale reminding me of what I'm doing. I may have to just order myself one to keep me in check

3) I miss Target...seriously!

4) I did go to the gym yesterday for a quicky workout. Even though I haven't done much for the last few weeks, I still have soreness in my knees, elbows, and back! I feel like an old man. I think I need to cut out nightshade foods.

5) everything is damn expensive here!

Here's some pics I'm stealing from my wife's collection. She's much more clever and better with photoshop than I am.

In London

2008-01-05T04:20:00.000-08:00

So we're now in London, sleeping till noon everyday trying to get over the jetlag.

The biggest challenge right now is trying to figure out a place in which to do my workouts. there's a small, very inadequate gym in my building, so I'm going to have to improvise for now.

The good news is that we've found a Whole Foods in the area, which means that we'll be getting lots of fruits and veg....which they call prod-juice (I'll never get used to the accent...NEVER!)

I'm going to work out a strategy over the next couple of days and keep you updated on my progress.

Don't give up on me!

2007-12-29T08:24:00.001-08:00

I've looked at this blog several times over the last week, and started posts, but never finished them. I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately, but getting ready for Xmas and my impending move to London has been much more work than I had expected.

The quick update is that I had been working out until the beginning of this week, when I got really sick. My weight has been hovering around 255 for the last week or so, which isn't great, but not surprising considering the xmas feast, etc.

I'm sadly not going to reach my goal by the end of the year, but I will keep plugging away in London, and keep posting when things settle down.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'll check in on all your blogs within the next few days.

More shoulder presses

2007-12-14T23:41:00.000-08:00

Weight: 252

5 Day Average: 252.9

Food:

7:45 - Oatmeal, raisins, almonds, protein powder, cottage cheese = 5 blocks

2:00 - Turkey Sandwich, apple ~ 5 blocks

6:00 - 6 oz red snapper, 3 sushi rolls, 2 glasses wine, 3 bites of cake for dessert - 8 blocks?

total 18 blocks

not ideal for sure

Workout:

a bunch of shoulder stuff

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps

Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Took my time and set some personal records for this one.

180 on shoulder press (PR and gym record)

200 on push press (PR)

202 on Push jerk (PR)

My shoulders were tired afterwords, but not destroyed. I think I tweaked my back a bit because I should have dropped the weight on one of them, and didn't. Went to the chiropractor to get it checked out and he said it wasn't too serious. I'll rest it for a few days and check in with him again tomorrow. Besides that it was a good day and a good workout.

Back again

2007-12-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

Weight: 253.5
5 Day Average: 252.8

Food:

Not good over the weekend, not at all. I ate like crap and felt like crap afterwards. Lots of drinking and lots of junk food. It would have been okay if it were just one day, but it was 4!!!!

Workout:
(Tuesday) - "Angie"
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 sit ups
100 squats

Finished in 37:11

Note - I did this work out "as prescribed" meaning that (in addition to the other stuff) I did 100 pullups!!!! That's freaking unbelievably amazing, considering my previous max was 3 or 4. Kipping really helps. I'm still really sore from this one...especially in my back muscles.

(Wednesday) -
Back Squat 5-3-3-3-1-1-1-1-1 reps

This was a heavy lifting day. I started with 185 X 5 and finished with 367 X 1.

367 is my personal squat record by 2 lbs! It's only 8 lbs less than the gym record. I tried to beat the gym record on my last attempt, but I was too tired by then and had to drop it. If I get another opportunity before I leave, I think I can get it.

As for Tahoe, it was pretty great. I snowboarded for the first time in 2 years, and felt more comfortable than ever. I've never been anywhere near 250 when I snowboarded in the past, and needless to say it helps to be lighter on the snow. I never really got tired, and probably could have gone on for hours. I did a few jumps in the terrain park, and even did a grind on a box (a first for me)!

Anyway, although the workouts are going well, I'm a bit discouraged by my eating performance this weekend. Not surprised, but I think I should have planned it better. Unfortunately I have events for the next 4 days which are going to test my willpower in the same way. If I make conscious decisions about my health, I can get through them unscathed. They can go terribly wrong if I don't, though.

I'm back to eating healthy for the last few days, and I did manage to go to a bar tonight without having any alcohol, and very little bar food. I hope to carry that momentum with me for a few days while the relentless partying continues!

PS - sorry no pics, we bought a new camera and it totally sucked, so we didn't take many. Fortunately we replaced it today, so you'll definately see more pics of my travels in the future.

EDIT: I actually did find a pic of the xmas party I went to on Friday....and I also went back and compared it to a pic taken last xmas.

Look at all that extra face in the second picture! I'll take some better photos later, but I just thought these were neat.

Kipping Pullups!!!!

2007-12-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

Weight: 248
5 Day average: 252.4

Food(planned for today):
7:45 - Oatmeal, raisins, almonds, protein powder, cottage cheese = 5 blocks
12:00 - Sandwich w/avocado, turkey, cheese = 5 blocks
4:00 - 2 pieces of cheese, 2 macadamia nuts, 1/2 apple = 2 blocks
7:30 - ??
9:00 - ??

Workout:
"Lynne"
Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups

225 lb bench press
Pullups as rx'ed
4/6 , 2/7, 2/8, 2/10, 1/6

The actual reps aren't quite as good as last time for the bench, but pretty close. Anyway, it wasn't about the bench press today. I finally got the hang of the kipping pull ups today. Not only that, but I managed to get 10 pullups in a row! This is really huge for me. I can't remember the last time I was ever able to do pullups before the last few weeks. Somebody noticed that I was kipping for the first time and everybody cheered! The folks at my gym are so awesome....we're really gonna miss them.

Here's a video demonstrating the Kipping pullup.

In other news, my work is having a holiday party tonight, so I'm taking the night off from dieting. I'm not going to go overboard, but I'm not going to weigh/measure as I have been. After that, I'm going up to Tahoe for a couple of days of snowboarding. I'm super-excited about this, because I'm in better shape now than I've ever been since I started boarding.

See you all on Monday or Tuesday.

The 240's

2007-12-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Weight: 249.5!!!
5 Day Average: 254.1

Food (planned for today):
7:45 - Oatmeal, raisins, almonds, protein powder, cottage cheese = 5 blocks
12:00 - 3 small tacos with plain corn tortillas, beef, and chicken ~ 5 blocks
4:00 - 2 pieces of cheese, 2 macadamia nuts, 2/3 banana = 2 blocks
7:30 - beef stroganoff = 5 blocks
9:00 - cheese, nuts, fruit mix = 2 blocks

Total = 19 blocks

Workout:
This one was really brutal

Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
75 pound Sumo deadlift high-pull, 21 reps
75 pound Thruster, 21 reps

Finished in 33:09

This one was like a battle. There were several people in the class this morning, and you could see them starting to drop off one by one as we went through. Without exception, every single person just laid flat on the ground after they finished. At one point during the last 400m run, I could barely breathe, and had to stop and walk. It was crazy! Despite this workout testing the limits of my mental and physical well being, I felt pretty strong throughout. The Zone diet seems to support these types of workouts.

The big news is that I'm seeing the 240's!! I won't be surprised if it bumps up a little tomorrow, but it's exciting to see that I'm getting close to my 2007 goal.

Eating well

2007-12-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

Weight: 253
5 Day average: 255.9

Food (Monday):
7:45 - Oatmeal, raisins, almonds, protein powder, cottage cheese = 5 blocks
12:00 - sandwich w/avocado, turkey, cheese = 5 blocks
4:00 - 2 pieces of cheese, 2 macadamia nuts, 2/3 banana = 2 blocks
7:30 - mexicali beef = 5 blocks
9:00 - cheese, nuts, fruit mix = 2 blocks
Total = 19 blocks

(Tuesday):
7:45 - Oatmeal, raisins, almonds, protein powder, cottage cheese = 5 blocks
12:00 - mexicali beef = 5 blocks
4:00 - 2 pieces of cheese, 2 macadamia nuts, 2/3 banana = 2 blocks
7:30 - chicken stir fry = 5 blocks
9:00 - cheese, nuts, fruit mix = 2 blocks
Total = 19 blocks

(Wednesday):
7:45 - Oatmeal, raisins, almonds, protein powder, cottage cheese = 5 blocks
12:00 - chicken stir fry = 5 blocks
4:00 - 2 pieces of cheese, 2 macadamia nuts, 2/3 banana = 2 blocks
7:30 - beef stroganoff = 5 blocks
9:00 - cheese, nuts, fruit mix = 2 blocks
Total = 19 blocks

Workout (tuesday) - Front squats, 5 sets of 5
started with 135, ended with 220.

3 days in a row I've stuck with this zone eating plan. It's enough food to make me not hungry, but not enough to make me feel bloated or lethargic. Based on the weigh ins and the energy I have, it seems to be working! It'll be interesting to see how it affects my performance and general mood for tomorrow's workout.

Weights and measures

2007-12-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

Weight: 257

5 Day Average: 256.1

Food: (see below)

Workouts:

Sunday:

5 minutes of Double unders

5 minutes of 95 lb Clean and Push jerk

3 minutes of Double unders

3 minutes of 95 lb Clean and Push jerk

1 minute of Double unders

1 minute of 95 lb Clean and Push jerk

214 reps total

Monday:

Three rounds for time of:

Run 800 meters

50 Back Extensions

50 Sit-ups

Finished in 26:17 (3 seconds faster than last time, woo hoo!)

Ok, I've been looking at my diet and my weight over the past few weeks, and have decided that I need to step it up. It's time to weigh and measure my food to make sure I'm getting precisely the right amount at the right time. The recommended diet for crossfitters is The Zone. It's been around a while, and it is pretty simple and easy to follow. We've been eating a lot of zone recommended meals, but haven't really weighed or measured our food. As a result, I think we have lost some of our dieting discipline, and haven't been able to stick with our plan.

Anyway, for the next few weeks, you will see me post my meals with blocks assigned to them. The blocks are nothing but a way to measure the carb/protein/fat content of each meal, and helps make sure you have an adequate amount of each with each meal....It's sorta like counting calories.

I think I've still got a shot at 240 by this time next month, so I'm going for it!

Running like I'm chasing someone!

2007-11-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

Weight: 254
5 Day Average: 256.1

Food:
(Wednesday)

7:45 - Oatmeal w/raisins, almonds, protein powder
10:00 - trail mix bar
1:00 - chicken, spinach, carrots, zucchini
5:00 - applesauce, string cheese
9:00 - curry chicken, naan

(Thursday)
7:45 - Oatmeal w/raisins, almonds, protein powder
10:00 - trail mix bar
1:00 - turkey and ham wrap in whole wheat roll with salad
4:00 - applesauce, string cheese
7:00 - chicken sandwich, fries

My life has been hectic lately, working till 8 every night....nevertheless, I need to plan my dinners better, for sure.

Workout:

(Thursday) Run 5k - finished in 26:36...woo hoo!
(Friday) With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.

did 3 rounds, and 3 in the 4th round, then moved to ring rows for 7 more rounds.

During my 5k yesterday, I was running my normal route, but mixing sprints into the normal run. I really have no concept of how to pace myself in a 5 k, I tend to start at medium pace, then do a bunch of sprints, which either speed me up or slow me down.

Anyway, our course takes us through some dodgy parts of Oakland. Those of you from Detroit can relate, they are two of the most dangerous cities, in america! Represent! Represent! (kidding) So I'm running through Oakland, and as I'm about to start a 1 block sprint, I notice a couple of guys exchanging goods and services about a block and a half up the road. F*** it, I think...I'm sprinting anyway. Here's this 255 lb crazy dude sprinting towards these guys at full speed at 6:30 in the morning while they're clearly doing something illegal. To my surprise and amusement, they start to freak out....As I get close, both guys hop in their cars, and one of them races away. As I run by the other guy, he stares at me with a frightened look in his eyes. It was hilarious!!!

Afterwords, I figured it probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do, but it was fun, nonetheless! And hey, this is my neighborhood too damnit!

Crossfit total again

2007-11-28T19:20:00.000-08:00

Weight: 256
5 Day Average: ??

Food (yesterday):

7:45 - oatmeal, raisins, almonds, and protein powder
10:00 - trail mix bar
1:00 - Gyros
4:00 - string cheese, applesauce
8:00 - pasta with chicken breast

Workout:

two days ago - weighted pullups...7 attempts. I managed to do 15 lbs of WEIGHTED PULLUPS! I still can't get that many pullups, but I can get them!

Today - Crossfit Total
best of 3 reps of Squat, shoulder press, deadlift
Squat - 315 - 335 - 345
Shoulder press - 155 - 177 (miss) - 177(miss)
Deadlift - 415 - 460 (miss) - 440

Total = 960

Personal record on Deadlift and Squat. I tried for a personal record on shoulder press (twice) but couldn't quite get it. I did beat my 925 of last time. I think I have a good shot at 1000 next time.

Leaving home soon.

2007-11-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Weight: 256

5 Day Average: 256.8

Food (yesterday):

The last two days of eating haven't been great, obviously with the holiday and all. I have been starting my days with my oats, but Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers have filled out the rest of my menu. This explains the 1 lbs weight gain.

Workout:

5 modified rope climbs

24 kettlebell swings (40 lbs)

24 box jumps (24 in box)

400m run

24 snatch (45 lbs)

24 clean and jerk (30 lb dumbbells)

24 overhead squats with 45 lb plate

didn't time this one.

I hope everyone had as good a thanksgiving as I did. My friends and family all together in one place eating and drinking and laughing. It was really fantastic. It's a bit sad because it's starting to dawn on me that I'm going to be leaving home for 9+ months in just a few weeks. I'm really gonna miss these folks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Weight: 255

5 day average: 257.8

Food (yesterday):

7:45 oatmeal w/raisins, almonds, protein powder

10:00 - trail mix bar

1:00 - chicken with cauliflower and carrots

4:00 - mixed fruit, string cheese

7:30 - beans, ground beef, corn, w/cheese and light sour cream

Workout:

120 jumping muscle ups - finished in 28:40

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I want thank you all sincerely for all of your support over these last few months. I don't feel like I would have gotten anywhere close to my goal without your kind words of encouragement.

I hope you find something to be thankful for today with your friends and family.

Bad fuel?

2007-11-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Weight: 257
5 day average: 257.2
Food (yesterday):
10:00 - eggs, hash browns, chicken sausage
1:00 - Trail mix bar
4:00 - Trail mix bar
7:00 - Chicken, cauliflower, carrots

Workout:
"Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

Finished in 14:16 with jumping pullups - faster than last time, and the jumping pullups were more like regular pullups.

As you can see, I put on a few pounds over the weekend. Although yesterday's eating wasn't bad, I didn't do myself any favors on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we had mexican food for lunch, and chinese for dinner, followed by drinks and bowling. On Sunday, we had coffee/sweets in the morning, and a big lunch in Monterey, but skipped dinner.

To be perfectly honest, I needed a break and a chance to re-evaluate things. I looked back at my weight tracker and saw that I had lost 8 lbs in 10 days, which doesn't feel healthy at all. My workout performance has been suffering over the last week or so, and I just wasn't feeling into it. Looking back on my diet, it's clear that I'm not eating enough of the right things to keep my body healthy. It has to be more than just "caloric deficit" which drives my eating.

A quote on the crossfit oakland website sums it up pretty well.

"If you want top-fuel-type performance, you need top fuel; you can't just piss into the gas tank" - G. Glassman

Here are some things I'm planning to change about my diet in addition to what I'm already doing.

1) Veggies with every lunch and dinner
2) Full servings of fish oil with breakfast and dinner
3) Limit alcohol until Dec 7
4) 10 full cups of water everyday

Nothing too serious here, just a few tweaks that will hopefully improve my mood and performance in the gym.

Basketball!

2007-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Weight: 252

5 Day Average: 254.6

Food (yesterday):

7:45 - Oatmeal with protein powder, raisins, almonds

10:00 - Luna bar

12:30 - Ahi, cabbage, and 1/2 of a small chocolate cake for dessert

4:00 - Jamba juice with protein

9:30 - 1/2 chicken, a few potato bites, some tortilla chips, 1 1/2 margaritas

Workout:

Max's birthday workout

70 jumping pullups

70 jumping dips

70 thrusters

70 pushups

70 double-unders

finished in 26:40

Also, 2 hours of basketball yesterday.

Yesterday was the first time I've played full court basketball for a few years. I've played a game or two of 1/2 court, but I always broke down before the game was over. I felt surprisingly good during the game. My shot was way off, and I had a hard time getting the ball in for layups, but I was able to hang with people pretty well, and got up and down the court with faster guys. Being the biggest guy on the court, I was able to post up a lot and get some easy shots. My calves started cramping a bit towards the end, so I stopped, but I had no injuries, and my knees actually feel okay today!

I'm so excited to actually be able to get back on the basketball court!!!

Do you have a long lost sports love you can't wait to play again?

Fran (again)

2007-11-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

Weight: 254.5
5 day average: 255.6
Food(yesterday):
7:45 - oatmeal with raisins, almonds, protein powder
10:00 - Jamba juice with protein
1:00 - 3 small tacos with unfried corn tortillas, chicken and tomatoes.
5:00 - apple, macadamia nuts
8:00 - salad, a few bites of jambalaya

Workout:
Fran
21-15-9 reps of
Thrusters
Pullups

I finished in 19:09 (much slower than my previous time)
The big difference this time is that I tried to do several straight pullups, which took me a lot longer.
The first round, I managed 2 pullups before I started jumping, the next round, 5, and the last round I did all 9, but it took a long time. I'd say this is progress, even though the time was much slower. The thrusters felt a bit better, as well.

I'm planning to play basketball tonight for the first time in many months. Wish me luck!

What is Crossfit?

2007-11-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

Weight: 254.5
5 Day Average: 256.1
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins, almonds, protein powder
10:00 - Jamba juice
1:00 - chicken chili and cornbread (gotta cut out the bread)
4:00 - apple and macadamia nuts
7:00 - 2 steak skewars, 3 makers and cokes, 2 tequila shots

Workout: rest day

Yes, I got a bit drunk last night. The good news is that I didn't indulge in the post-drinking foods, as I normally do, and I also got to bed at 10pm, so I actually feel pretty good today. No way I would have done that if today hadn't been a rest day.

Anyway, in response to Kyle's question (and a few other questions I've gotten over the last few months), I thought I'd talk a little about crossfit. I hope I don't bore you, but you asked for it!

From the crossfit website: Crossfit is a strength and conditioning program used to train many police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing.

Their theory is that fitness is defined by 10 different things....cardiovascular/resperatory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. The workouts are designed to improve your capacity in all of the 10 areas. They are also designed to allow you to compete with other people, by timing your workouts, and measuring your weightlifting capacity. In this way, the workout is sort of like a sport.

I've always wanted to train in a way that allowed me to be physically prepared for any athletic endeavor I want to take up. I believe Crossfit is preparing me to be ready for anything. Since I've started, I've been able to push myself harder than I ever thought possible. I could barely make it through the warmups before without panting and sweating like crazy. Now I'm doing pullups, handstand pushups, and all sorts of things I never thought I'd be able to do. I'm in the best shape I've been for the last 8 years, and I'm not even close to reaching my potential.

Anyway, I can go on and on, but you can read more by going here.

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html

I would recommend particularly that you look at the videos, and the "What is fitness" pdf on the right.

The best way to learn about it is to just try it for a while. It's designed so that people at every level of fitness can participate. The groups are always supportive, and you will learn a ton about your capabilities and what it means to be fit just in the first few sessions.

On the right nav of the main page if you scroll, there's a list of affiliates. There's probably one in your area.

http://www.crossfit.com/

Linda (again)

2007-11-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

Weight: 255
5 Day Average: 256.6
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - small Jamba juice with protein powder
1:00 - chicken salad, 2-3 pieces of bread (doh!)
4:00 - apple, handful of macadamia nuts
7:30 - salmon and chard

I also had 2-3 small shortbread cookies yesterday at work....won't be doing that again today

Workout:
Linda (otherwise known as the 3 bars of death)
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:
Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight (I did 260)
Bench press: body weight (175)
Clean: 3/4 body weight (135)

Finished in 46:50

Compared to last time, I was much slower. I think that had to do with the fact that there were more people in the gym today than last time, which meant that we didn't have enough benches for everyone. I was waiting around for part of the time, but it's not like I didn't need the rest. :) I don't really see this workout as a "for time" thing until I can do it as prescribed. If I'm increasing the weights each time, I would expect that my times aren't really going to improve much.

Again, I started with 205 on the bench, but that was too much for me, so I backed off. I should have done 185 like last time...will remember that for next time.
My deadlift and clean form felt better, even with the heavier weights...seems like I'm finally picking it up
Again, I felt dizzy and had to manage myself so that I didn't pass out or throw up. I'm sure I wasn't the only one, this one is a killer.

This is actually one of my favorite workouts we do at Crossfit. I figure, after overcoming all these tough physiological challenges at 6am, how hard can the rest of the day be?

What's your favorite workout?

Glad to be home

2007-11-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

Weight: 257
5 Day Average: 257.6

Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins, almonds, protein powder
10:00 - zone bar
1:00 - turkey sandwich on dark rye bread, dry with no pickles, tomatoes, lettuce
4:00 - banana, macadamia nuts
7:00 - salmon and chard
8:00 - 1/2 bowl of strawberries and blueberries

Now that's what I call a good day of eating! :)

Workout:
7 rounds for time of
10 reps Sumo Deadlift high pull with 95 lbs
10 reps of ring dips
finished in 12:25, with modifications on the dips

Ring dips are much harder than dips on the bars, and I was only able to manage 1-2 full dips before I had to do some modifications. I don't feel like I pushed myself as hard as I could today. I'm going to start phasing out the modifications and just push myself to do the full dips and pullups for the entirety of the workouts.

I've been thinking about what to write about last week's trip. First of all, it was for business, so I spent a majority of the time working in either the office or the hotel. I'm sure we'll get tons of shots when we move there, but unfortunately I lost my camera in a black cab, so I don't have any personal pics :(.

My main goals for the trip besides work were

check out the neighborhood we'll be living in. It looks great, so no problems there
Find a decent gym. This wasn't very successful. I checked out 5 different gyms and they were all either geared towards cardio or had bad operating hours. This is gonna be a tough one to sort out. If I could only get a proper crossfit group set up over there...hmmm
Find a few good restaurants - I found a couple of good places, but generally the food over there sucks

If you want to lose weight, the UK is probably not a bad place to do it. I ended up walking a ton while I was over there, and not eating very much due to the terrible food and the smaller portions. The only drawback is that you're encouraged to drink, a lot! We went out for drinks 4 of the 7 nights I was there....which probably explains my lack of working out later in the week.

I'm rambling now, but it was a very successful week as far as weight loss goes...but I'm glad to be back in the states.

The workouts.

2007-11-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

Weight: 257
5 Day Average: 258

I'm a bit overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I can write about for the last week.

Food: TERRIBLE!!!! London is not known for it's food. Too many different things to list over the last week, more to come in later posts.

Workout(s):
Journal of workouts since my last workout post - note, all of these were done in London gyms except the last two.

11/4:
"Nasty Girls"

3 rounds for time of:
50 Squats
7 Muscle-ups (I substituted 7 dips then 7 pullups)
135 pound Hang power cleans, 10 reps

finished in 15:50

Got a few crazy looks in the gym for this one

11/5:
4 rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
Rest 2 minutes

finished in 12:36

The "Run 400 meters" part was a full out sprint. I was thrashed after this.

11/6:
Back squat: 7 sets of 1
Started at 220 lbs, finished at 335 on the fifth set. For the last two sets, I decided to drop the weight and do 2 sets of 5 at 160 and 180.

I was really scared of failing on this one with no spotters or racks to catch me, so I could have done more, but I backed off.

11/10:
Row 1000m
25 double unders (jump rope passes under you 2 times)
Row 750m
50 double-unders
Row 500m
100 double-unders

Finished in 24:48

Completely, utterly destroyed after this one. I had to sit down and try to catch my breath for about 10 mins. The closest I've actually been to puking since I started. I love it!!

11/12:

As many rounds as possible in 20 mins of
5 Handstand pushups
10 L-pullups
15 steps, walking lunge

Finished 8 rounds.

For the L-pullups, I had to do them jumping, but I felt much better than I did last time about them, and I was much stronger. For the Handstand Pushups, I managed to stay in a handstand the entire time through 7 of the 8 sets, and I went down about 1/3 to 1/2 the way each time. HUGE improvement over the last time.

Ok, I want to talk more about my trip, but this is a lot to digest. I'll work on that post later tonight or tomorrow morning.

quick check in

2007-11-09T21:03:00.001-08:00

Hey folks,

So I just got back to the states today. I'm completely wrecked, with only 3 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. I'll be updating the blog this weekend. Rest assured, I've been working out and I think I've lost some kilos! :)

Fair to middlin

2007-11-04T01:46:00.001-07:00

Weight: 261.1 lbs (18.65 stones)
5 Day Average: 262

Food (yesterday):
11:00am - Oatmeal with apples, almonds, raisins
1:30pm - Promax bar
8:00pm - 5 slices dominos pizza, some sort of chocolate crisp thing

Workout (yesterday):
"Isabel"
Snatch, 30 lbs with 135 lbs
finished in 8:45

Can you guess what i did wrong in my eating yesterday? After writing it down, I realize that I'm going to have to change some things today in order to stick to the diet. My first mistake was waiting so long before eating...6.5 hours!!!! jeez! The second mistake was letting someone else order food for me. I went to visit a friend at their house today, and didn't really object when they ordered pizza. I also didn't turn it down when they kept bringing me slices....what was I thinking? Anyway, I'll be fixing that today. Eating every 3 hours is in the cards again.

Yesterday was olympic lifting, the snatch. It's actually a really fun workout, and good for the whole body. People really look at you crazy at the gym when you throw weights above your head :). Has anybody tried olympic lifting as part of a workout?

My form could use some work. I'm gonna need to find a weightlifting coach while I'm out here. I wonder if this guy is available.

Jet Lagged in London

2007-11-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Weight: 261 (almost back to previous low)

5 Day average: 263.5

Food (oct 31):

7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins, almonds, protein powder

10:00 - promax bar

12:30 - gumbo and small salad

3:30 - nuts, string cheese

6:30 - chicken breast, tomatoes, capers

(Nov 1)

7:45 - Oatmeal w/raisins, almonds, protein powder

10:00 - promax bar

12:30 - 3 small tacos (dry corn tortilla with salsa, spices, and chicken or steak)

3:00 - promax bar

6:00 - promax bar

8:30 - part of a chicken breast, some veggies, a glass of wine, and 1/2 of a small piece of cheesecake (airline food)

(Nov 2)

12:00 - 2:00am - a few raisins, a bunch of water

7:00am - club sandwich with no mayo and a few fries

12:00pm - chorizo, beans, veggies, glass of wine, water

Workout (Nov 1):

"Diane"

21-15-9 reps of:

225 pound Deadlift

Handstand push-ups (I substituted 40 lb dumbbell shoulder presses because of a wrist injury on front squats)

Finished in 13:58

As you can see above, my schedule is all screwed up. I'm in London for the next week, and I'm trying to keep my eating up at the same time my sleep is way off. My willpower waned a bit towards the end, but no major damage was done, I think. The good news is that I found a gym here that I can use to continue my workouts. I also think the wrist injury I suffered doing front squats the other day is 90% healed, so no major damage done there.

As an aside, I just want to mention that London is a very cool city. My hotel is right next to this cool looking castle, just out of the picture shown on the lower left side. Pop quiz: What's the name of the castle and the bridge?

Front Squats

2007-10-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

Weight: 263

5 Day Average: 264.2

Food (yesterday):

8:30 - Oatmeal with raisins, almonds, protein powder

10:30 - promax bar

12:30 - 1/2 ham sandwich and broccoli

3:40 - banana, macadamia nuts

9:00 - beans, ground turkey breast, salsa, corn and a promax bar

Workout: Front squats 5 sets of 5. Started with 135, finished with 175, and got halfway through a set with 200.

The front squat is incredibly hard for me. I have issues with flexibility in my calves, shoulders, and wrists, and I don't get down nearly as far as I should. This is one I definitely need to spend some time working on. I think of all the exercises we do, this one is the worst for me.

Do you have a "nemesis" exercise? What movement makes you cringe?

Back and rested

2007-10-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Weight: 265.5
5 Day average: 263.7

Food - Food was not very disciplined over the weekend.

It started in vegas on Friday morning and went downhill from there. I had room service breakfast, a big burrito for lunch, and a smallish dinner

On Saturday, we ate pretty well until dinner, where we had steak and a potato with broccoli and wine (wine we didn't drink in vegas)...with some cookies for dessert.

Sunday, we had coffee and a scone, some chips and salsa, and a frozen burrito for dinner.

Workout -
Saturday - 10 single reps (3 mins rest in between) of cleans - maxed at 180lbs (power clean form, not full squat clean form)

Sunday - took day off

Monday - With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able....kind of a complicated sounding workout, but it's just a test of your pull-up ability. I managed to make it through round 3....this means that I completed 6 pullups! 6 PULLUPS!!! I'm quite excited about that, considering my previous record was 1.

After the eating carnage that was the weekend, I'm not surprised at the weigh in. Funny thing is, we didn't do too badly on the eating while in vegas. Whatever....it's what I expected, and I'm not too upset about it. Now I'm back to work.

The mini-break was great! My wife was genuinely surprised and pleased by the choices and activities.

A couple of notes about Vegas.

If you're planning on going, try the Signature at MGM Grand if you want a quiet, non-Vegas feel to your hotel room. It was like staying in a condo and the service was excellent
For restaurants, Picasso was fantastic, but really expensive. We also tried Rosemary's about 5-10 miles away. It was good, and the service was great, but it was not up to all the hype that TripAdvisor gives it.
McCarren Airport sucks!!! Show up early or you might be stuck in the security line while your plane flys away (which is what happened to us)

Anyway, I'm very excited to be back, and ready to finish out the year strong!

working hard on vacation!

2007-10-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Weight: 262.5
5 Day average: ??

Food (yesterday):
8:30 - Oatmeal with Raisins and protein powder
11:00 - promax bar
2:00 - nuts and 1/2 apple
6-9pm - a bunch of stuff...one of the top 3 meals we've ever had at a restaurant at Picasso

Workout:
Michael - 3 rounds for time of
Run 800 m
50 situps
50 back extensions
finished in 26:20

I don't have much time to post, but we're here in Vegas for the wife's birthday and we're having a great time....will provide more details when I return.

Just two things for today

1) I actually got up on my vacation and worked out!!!! Never, ever, ever, EVER would have happened before. I feel great and I think it's going to give me much more energy today. I also had a lower weigh in despite all the food yesterday!

2) Take a minute to look at the website for my local gym. They did a nice write up about my wife and I for her birthday. Don't know who that goofy looking guy on the left is, but the lady on the right sure has a pretty smile :).

Tabata

2007-10-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Weight: 263
5 Day Average: 262.8
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - granola bar, string cheese
12:30 - corn soup, chicken breast salad
4:30 - mixed nuts, strawberries
7:00 - lean beef in yogurt sauce, steamed chard
8:30 - Zone bar

Workout:
"Tabata something else" - very strange name, but whatever

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

I managed 245 total reps.

When we came in to class and saw the previous class completing the tabata, we knew we were in for some pain! This was a tough one...I felt close to puking afterwards, and my legs were cramping up after the squats. The push ups were especially hard. During the last few intervals, I wasn't able to get more than 2 or 3 pushups per round.

Anyway, today is the beginning of "wife's birthday trip". I may log on at some point, but I may not be blogging for a few days. I do plan on getting in a few workouts, and making sure we have plenty of healthy food to eat, but I won't be watching my diet with the vigor of a normal day. Look forward to talking to you all again in a few days.

Ugh

2007-10-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Weight: 264.5
5 Day Average: 262.3

Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - promax bar
12:30 - vegetable beef soup
4:30 - apple, mixed nuts
7:00 - frozen lasagna
8:30 - Zone bar

Workout:
Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press (I did 225)
Pull-ups (I did ring rows)

3/8, 3/8, 2/7, 3/8, 2/9

I felt crappy today, and it showed in my performance and weight. 3 days of strange sleep patterns and lack of home cooked meals with veggies, etc, seems to have taken it's toll. I'm paying the price for my bad weekend. No excuses, I just need to get it done.

Temptation

2007-10-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Weight: 263.5
5 Day Average: 262
Food:

Saturday -
8:00 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
12:00 - banana, mixed nuts
2:30 - chicken breast with beans, bell peppers, onions, lettuce, salsa
4:30 - Zone bar
7:00 - Tandoori chicken with naan and some sauce (no rice)
8:30 - Temptation trail mix :(

Sunday -
11:00 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
12:00 - 4:30 - a bunch of Zone bars and a handful of mixed nuts
7:00 - spinach, chicken breast, nutmeg recipe
8:30 - Zone bar

Workout:
Sunday -
21, 15, and 9 rep rounds for time of:
95 pound Squat clean
L Pull-ups (substituted jumping pull ups and leg raises)
95 pound Thruster
Handstand Push-ups (started with full handstand, but ended up with my feet on a box)

Finished in 39:00

Monday - rest day

I did not eat well this weekend. It wasn't a disaster by any means, but it wasn't good either. My first mistake was going to the store with my mom when I was relatively hungry, which led me to buying the trail mix. The second mistake was buying the Zone bars, which I tend to eat without discretion. After eating a whole bag of trail mix for dessert (something like 16 servings), I was bloated and crappy feeling, so I didn't get to sleep until 2am. Woke up the next day and worked out (which was brutal, as usual), then came home feeling good but very hungry, which led to me grazing all day on Zone bars.

I suppose trail mix with nuts, raisins and chocolate and health food bars aren't the worst things you can eat, but they are definately triggers for me. I feel like I'm eating relatively healthy, so I eat a whole bunch. I'm paying for it today by feeling bloated, crappy, and tired.

I'm feeling like I need to check myself, because I've been going off a bit on the diet the last two weekends. I can't get complacent, I've still got a long way to go. Time to reload!

The Total!

2007-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Weight: 261

5 Day Average: 262.4

Food (yesterday):

7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - Apple sauce, string cheese
12:30 - steak with beans, bell peppers, onions, lettuce, salsa
4:00 - mixed nuts, yogurt
7:00 - turkey meatballs, chard

Workout: Crossfit Total

Squat - Back Squat - 315 - 345 - ~~375~~ (miss)

Overhead Press - 155 - 175 - ~~185~~ (miss)

Deadlift - 355 - 405 - ~~481~~ (miss)

Total: 925 lbs

The Crossfit Total is a pure test of strength. You have 3 tries to get your 1 rep max of the 3 lifts above (deadlift, shoulder press, back squat). This is the first time I've ever done this, and the first time I've ever tried for a max effort on squat and deadlift. This one isn't timed, just heavy lifts, as much as you can do. Needless to say, as a guy, I was very excited to do the workout today!

For a first effort on this, I fared pretty well, although I was disappointed that I didn't reach my goal. The gym record for the total is 1000.5. With a bit more coaching about form, etc, I think I can beat it. I tried to beat it by loading up on the deadlift, but I could feel my back rounding on that 480lb effort, so I dropped it. I did get it off the ground though, so I'm pretty close. The bar was all bendy like the picture above. :) I can get away with poor form when the weights are reasonable, but not when they're heavy like this.

I set the new gym record for shoulder press at 175, which made it up on the record board. Woo hoo!

It's FRIDAY!

2007-10-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Weight: 260.5 !!!!!
5 Day Average: 263.3
Food (yesterday):

7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder

10:00 - Apple sauce, string cheese

12:30 - Chicken, ratatouille, butternut squash (all too oily)

4:00 - mixed nuts, yogurt w/honey, banana

7:00 - veggie enchilada

Workout:

Prescribed workout - Run 10 k...again, wtf...WTF!!!

My workout - Run 5 k - finished in 27:02

After a 10 min rest, finished with

250 jump ropes

25 burpees

25 squats

250 jump ropes

Last night, my wife and I were relaxing, watching baseball.

I said, "I wonder what the workout is going to be tomorrow?"

"Let me see" she says as she opens her computer.

"At least we know it won't be 'Run a 10k'", I laugh.

"Unbelievable!!"

"What?"

"The WOD is 'Run a 10k'"

"F***!!"

So yeah, I wasn't real happy about seeing this one again. We think that people in the crossfit world complained so much about the first 10k that the folks who run the thing decided "hey, it must be a weakness for everyone, let's do it again!"

I decided very quickly that after the pain that was the previous 10k, I would not be partaking in the festivities again. The kind folks at Crossfit Oakland always come up with an alternative workout for people who don't want to run, but it always seems harder than the running. I can handle a 5k, so I did that and 1/4 of the alternative workout to finish it off.

I finished the 5k in 27:02, which is 4 minutes faster than my 5k on September 25th. This time, I ended up running with somebody who was previously faster than me, so that helped. I also did a few sprints towards the end (one block sprint, two blocks jog), which I'm sure helped the time as well. After it was over, I took a 10 minute rest and commenced with the rest of the workout, which wasn't too bad. The burpees are still really really hard, but everything else was okay.

I was rewarded with a new low today by 2.5 lbs. Almost in the 250's!! I'm hoping for a 257 weigh in by the 24th, when we go on "Wife's birthday trip".

To get there, I'm not going to be doing any cheating this weekend. Who's with me???

Pics

2007-10-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Weight: 263
5 Day Average: 264.3
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - Apple sauce, string cheese
12:30 - Chicken, mixed veggie salad
4:00 - granola bar, mixed nuts
7:00 - chili with lean ground beef, black beans, salsa, with corn

Workout: Day off

Ok, so here are my pics. The first one is on July 4th at 292 lbs. The second is this morning at 263 lbs.

Those are the same shorts!

Rip, you can see I'm not a machine, just a fat guy. :)

Although, I don't plan to be a fat guy for much longer!

Fran

2007-10-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Weight: 264
5 day Average: 264.5
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - fruit salad, mixed nuts
12:30 - Chicken, mixed veggie salad, 3 bites of potato
4:00 - applesauce, granola bar
7:00 - chili with lean ground beef, black beans, salsa

Workout:
"Fran"
21-15-9 reps of
Thrusters (combination of front squat and shoulder press) - 95 lb barbell
Pull ups (substituted jumping pullups, but I'm close to doing them as prescribed!)

finished in 11:08

Thrusters are my nemesis. My form could use some serious work, my flexibility in the shoulders is questionable, and my body is toast afterwards. Today was better than in the past, but it's definitely a weakness I need to work on.

Side note for today, in warmups I did 200 jump ropes without stopping!

10k

2007-10-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Weight: 263.5
5 Day Average: 264.5
Food (yesterday): Back on track!
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - Apple Sauce, string cheese
12:30 - Some sort of chicken wrap thing...too many carbs and it wasn't even good!
4:00 - Fruit salad, mixed nuts
7:00 - chili with lean ground beef, black beans, salsa

Workout:

Run 10k - finished in 58:46

This is the crossfit prescribed workout for today. That's it, just run a 10k...no running training, just get up at 5:30, strap on your shoes, and run a 10k. Are you freaking kidding me???

They normally post the workout on the site the night before, and my wife and I always check so we know what we're getting into. Let me just say, I was legitimately nervous going into today's workout. I have never in my life run that far or that long. I'm not a big fan of running just to run, and I have never really even wanted to run that far. I was so nervous and dreading it that I woke up about 5-6 times last night thinking about it.

In the end, it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm pretty sore and tired now, but it's all muscle soreness, not joints. I was hoping to get in under 65 mins, and I finished in 58:46. Considering that it's a faster pace than my 5k only 20 days ago (31:24), I'm pretty happy with the result.

Two months ago, I couldn't really see myself doing this run. It's nice to know that I'm capable of doing it without completely breaking down. To be honest, I would be happy if we never did it again. :) This program is taking me to a level of fitness I haven't experienced since I was high school. By the time I reach my goal, I think I'll be in better shape than I was when I was 18.

Helen

2007-10-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

Weight: 265.5
5 Day Average: 264.9
Food: Full disclosure :(

Saturday
7:15 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
11:30 - Banana, Peanut butter
3:30- Luna Bar
8:00 - 6-8 pieces bbq chicken drumsticks, asparagus, broccoli, 1 piece cake, 1.5 cupcake

Sunday
8:30 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
11:30 - Promax bars
3:00 - chicken sandwich with bacon, fries, 3 beers
8:00 - banana, 3 macadamia nuts

Clearly not the healthiest weekend. I felt like I needed a break, so I took one. Saturday night was my mom and wife's birthday celebration with the family, and I knew going in that I wasn't going to go with the diet. I could have slowed down a bit on the chicken, but it was so damn good! I planned for it ahead of time by eating light (thanks to Jim for the suggestion), so it didn't hurt much. Yesterday I went out with the guys to watch a couple of football games and had a few beers. This one was unplanned, and I paid for it a bit this morning because I felt bloated and slow. Amazing I used to feel like this every single day!

Workout: "Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups (substituted ring rows)
Finished in 14:28

This is a repeat of the very first crossfit workout we did, and despite me feeling crappy from yesterday, the performance was excellent!

Finished first in the class today (though some other folks were doing full pullups)
I used the 1.5 pood kettlebell (about 52.5 lbs), last time I used 45 lbs
I finished 58 seconds faster than last time, my wife finished 40 seconds faster than last time!

Mary

2007-10-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Weight: 264

5 Day Average: 265.3

Food (yesterday):

7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder (notice a theme here?)
10:30 - Apple Sauce, string cheese
12:30 - 3 small chicken tacos with onions, cilantro and salsa with a corn tortilla

4:00 - Fruit salad, mixed nuts
7:00 - salmon and asparagus
9:00 - Banana and peanut butter

Workout:

"Mary"

As many rounds as you can get in 20 mins of:

5 Handstand Push-ups

10 One legged squats

15 Pull-ups

I did 6 rounds, with modified pullups (jumping or ring rows)

Today's workout wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but the last 3 days have been pretty brutal as a combination. 2 cool things happened at the gym today.

messing around before the session started, I think I got my first full pullup!
I managed to get myself into a handstand for the Handstand pushups! Now, I wasn't doing the full "head to the floor" pushups, but I was able to bend my arms a little and push myself back up. Honestly, I never would have tried a handstand even 2-3 weeks ago, and last Sunday when we had a workout requiring HSPU, I did them off of a box. That's major progress for me!

In general, I'm feeling sore and worn out from this week's sessions, but I also feel strong and lean. Also, I'm only .3 lbs away from reaching my weight goal 10 full days early!

25 pounds!

2007-10-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Weight: 264

5 Day Average: 266.3

Food (yesterday):

7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder

10:30 - Apple Sauce, string cheese

12:30 - baked chicken, salad with a variety of mixed veggies, no dressing

4:00 - Fruit salad, mixed nuts

7:00 - salmon and asparagus

9:00 - 3 macadamia nuts and a banana

Workout:

"1/4 Murph"

400 m run,

25 pull ups (substituted ring rows)

50 pushups

75 squats

400 m run

Finished in 15:30

The prescribed workout for today was 4 times the amount of reps and distance above, but there was no way we were going to be able to do that in any sort of reasonable time, so we cut it in 1/4. We're really sore after yesterday, and I noticed that a lot of the regulars didn't show up for class today.

Anyway, the big news is that I've officially lost 25 pounds! I haven't weighed in the 260's for at least 3 years, and even then it was the high 260's. I'm quite happy with the way things are going at this point. I want to thank you all again for your continued support. Blogging everyday and reading your blogs is one of the things that keeps me going (especially during August). Thanks!

Linda

2007-10-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Weight: 265.5
5 Day Average: 267.1
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - Promax bar
12:30 - Thai chicken soup, small side salad
4:00 - string cheese, cantaloupe
7:00 - salad with chicken breast
9:00 - 5 macadamia nuts and a banana

Workout: "Linda"
Linda is a beast. This is what it calls for.

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

I settled on 225 for the deadlift, 185 on the bench press, and 115 on the clean. This is pretty close to the prescribed weight if I were using my ideal bodyweight as a measure (180-190). I finished in 38:40.

A couple of notes about this one:

I started the bench with 205 lbs and I did 10 reps. The most I've ever done with 205 is 3 reps. The most I've ever done with 185 is 7-8 reps at a time. I haven't done bench for 2 months, but it's going up! Must be all the pushups
The deadlift and clean were a little light, but my form could really use some work. I was rounding my back too much on the deadlifts, and leaning back too much on the cleans
My shirt and towel were completely drenched with sweat and my water bottle was empty. I also had a brief bout of dizziness towards the end for the first time in a long while. This one really drained me.
I absolutely cannot wait to do it again! This is why I love Crossfit, the workouts are brutal, but most times they are downright fun.

Also, I was complimented today on my upper body development. It's not a weight loss compliment, but not bad to hear at all!

Not much to report today

2007-10-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Weight: 266
5 Day Average: 267.5
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - applesauce, string cheese
12:30 - chicken breast, broccoli, mushrooms
4:00 - mixed nuts, fruit salad
7:00 - chicken breast over black beans and bell peppers/onions/tomatoes, with cheese and a small bit of sour cream

Workout: Rest day today

Not much to report today, so I'll leave you with one of my favorite youtube videos.

More jump ropes

2007-10-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Weight: 267
5 Day Average: 268.1
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - applesauce, string cheese
12:30 - ground turkey with beans and corn
4:00 - string cheese, peanuts, a fig newton (my fruit was spoiled)
7:00 - chicken breast, broccoli, mushrooms

Workout:
5 rounds of 50 squats and 100 jump ropes (for time) - 17:16

I did a little bit of research of jump rope training because it was entirely too hard for me before. Found out that I was putting too much effort into my jump and that I should stay on my toes and only jump about 3/4 of an inch off the ground. It increased my speed and consistency dramatically. I was able to jump an average of 50-60 times before getting tripped up. Obviously it got harder as I got tired, but I was pretty happy overall with the performance. This was another workout where my weight held me back a bit, because I finished about 3-4 minutes behind everyone else.

I'm gaining on them everyday though!

Pull ups

2007-10-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

Weight: 269
5 Day Average: 269
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - Fruit salad and cheese
1:00 - ground turkey with beans and corn
4:00 - promax bar
7:00 - (family bbq) 5 slices tri-tip, beans, green beans. 1/2 hot link (no bun), 1 1/2 cupcake

I wouldn't say I passed the family bbq test with flying colors, but I think it was a C+ or so. I could have done without the hot link, as it wasn't very satisfying, but the cupcakes were worth every bite, and the slight bump in weight this morning. I reached my goal of keeping 269 through the weekend, so I'm happy with that.

Workout:
7 singles of weighted pullups - not for time
3 rounds of 15 box jumps and 15 burpees for time - 12:16

Today, since I can't get full pullups, my wife and I worked over on the side on practicing them. I am really really close to a full pullup. I can't quite get my chin over the bar. I feel like it will come over the next week or two. The good news is that the week of 1/2 effort seems to have rejuvinated my body, and I feel light and strong with no shoulder or knee pain to speak of.

One more day

2007-10-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Weight: 268

5 Day Average: 270

Food (yesterday):

7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder

10:00 - promax bar

1:00 - Salad with steak, tomatoes, avocado, bell peppers and no dressing, a few tortilla chips

4:00 - promax bar

7:00 - ground turkey with beans

Workout:

"J.T" 21-15-9 reps of:

Handstand pushups

Ring Dips

Push ups

For time: 17:10

The workout was challenging, and I had to do modifications of the handstand and ring dips. I need to also work on my pushups to make sure I'm getting the full range of motion, especially at the end when I get tired.

One more day of weekend left. My last challenge will be faced today, visiting the family. I have historically had a really hard time keeping to my diet when I visit the fam. It's funny, because my parents eat relatively healthy, but when they cook for us it's always bbq or something. There will also be cake and other unhealthiness. I'll have to be strong!

Weekend Warriorin

2007-10-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Weight: 267.5
5 day average: 271.3
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - Oatmeal with raisins and almonds and protein powder
10:00 - cheese, banana
2:00 - Salad with chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce - no dressing
4:00 - small slice of birthday cake (ouch)
7:00 - chicken with tomatoes and capers

Workout: Day off

Had a piece of birthday cake yesterday. My first real unplanned indescretion in a while. It was such a small sliver that it probably ended up being less calories than the fruit and cheese I had planned, but I still felt appropriately guilty afterward. :)

I've decided not to cheat until my wife's birthday thing on Oct 24, where we'll be going to a nice dinner. I have to prepare myself mentally for the uptick in weight after I do that or I'm not going to have a good time.

Time for the weekend.

2007-10-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Weight: 269!!!
5 Day average: 273
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - 1 serving oatmeal with almonds, raisins, and protein powder
10:15 - cheese, banana
1:00 - Lean beef patty + mashed cauliflower
4:00 - boiled egg, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
8:00 - chicken breast with tomatoes, basil, spices

Workout: (1/2 speed again)
Row 250 meters
75 pound Powerclean 25 reps
20 L Pull-ups
Row 250 meters
75 pound Powerclean 20 reps
15 L Pull-ups
Row 250 meters
75 pound Powerclean, 15 reps
10 L Pull-ups
Run 400 meters
Finished in 29:14

I really wasn't in a hurry today...I probably should have finished this in 20 mins or so. Looking forward to getting back to full speed next week.

Yesterday I went out for drinks with a few folks from work. We went to a place in San Francisco called Thirsty Bear which serves some of my favorite tapas and paella. I thought about my goals, this group, and the potential for disaster, and just drank water all night. A bunch of folks ordered tapas and the waiter put them right in front of me. I managed to avoid them. The wait-staff came by several times and asked if I wanted a drink, I declined. People started to get tipsy and began reveling (one of my favorite pastimes), and I managed to resist. It was an exercise in sheer willpower, and I was rewarded with a new low today on the scale. I don't think I want to be putting myself in situations like that too often.

My goal is to come out of this weekend with a weigh-in of 269. Two potential land mines are a team lunch today and a birthday party on Sunday. If I can see a land mine, I should be able to avoid it, right?!

Protect the knees!

2007-10-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Weight: 271.5
5 Day Average: 274
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - 1 serving oatmeal with almonds, raisins, and protein powder
10:15 - 2 boiled eggs, applesauce
12:30 - salad with Ahi, boiled eggs, etc
5:00 - String cheese, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
8:00 - lean beef patty + mashed cauliflower

Workout:
Squats, 6 sets of 3, increase weight each time. I started at 155 and ended up at 315.

My knees have been hurting lately. It's partially because of my workout, but I think the softball game on Monday hurt them as well. Anyway, I thought I'd go 1/2 speed today because we were doing squats, which are typically hard on my knees....but I started getting going and decided to go for it.

Since I've started crossfit, I've learned how to activate my glutes and hamstrings a lot more during my squats, and since we do free weight squats almost every day, I've had a lot of practice. Today I started with a quick warmup with an empty bar, and I found that if I did them right, I had no knee pain, and my quads weren't even doing most of the work. As we went up in weight, I just kept activating my glutes and hamstrings and it was pretty easy. To be honest, I think I could have done more.

We'll see how my knees feel tomorrow.

1/2 speed

2007-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Weight: 274
5 day average: 274.375
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - 1 serving oatmeal with almonds, raisins, and protein powder
10:15 - Promax bar
2:15 - grilled chicken, bell peppers, salsa, and a bit of rice
4:30 - 2 hard boiled eggs, applesauce, banana
7:00 - lean beef patty + tomato basil salad

Workout:
Row 250 meters
30 Wall-ball shots, 20 pound ball (combination of squat and shoulder press)
15 shoulder presses, 20#
Row 250 meters
20 Wall-ball shots, 20 pound ball
10 shoulder presses, 20#
Row 250 meters
15 Wall-ball shots, 20 pound ball
8 shoulder presses, 20$
Row 250 meters

completed in 13:15

My body is clearly telling me I'm working out too hard. Yesterday one of my knees got swollen, and my shoulders are in constant pain. I've decided to do crossfit at 1/2 speed this week to give myself a chance to rest. I think it's going to help, because I didn't feel any knee pain today. My shoulders still hurt, it feels more like fatigue than anything else. I want to feel like I did last week, so this active rest should help.

It was really tough to watch everyone around me do double the reps and working really hard. I really wanted to be sweating and breathing hard and almost puking just like them (strange, I know). I did get to watch my wife work out, and man, she kicks ass!

Two good things

2007-10-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Weight: 274.5
5 day average: 273.875
Food (yesterday):
7:45 - 1 serving oatmeal with almonds, raisins, and protein powder
10:15 - Promax bar
1:15 - veggie enchilada
4:30 - strawberries, blueberries, apple sauce, and string cheese
10:00 - small veggie pizza (the healthy kind)

I've had to eat a couple of frozen "emergency meals" the last couple of days because my wife and I have been too busy too cook. They're healthy and all, and I don't overdo it, but I do feel like I'm getting more fresh food goodness with the cooked meals.

Workout: Day off today

Yesterday was a softball double header, and I was pitching, so I was in the middle of a lot of action. After the game I had several little aches and pains, so I took the day off today from crossfit. I'm starting to think that yesterday's poor performance in the WOD (workout of the day) was partially due to my weekend activities and partially due to a bit of overtraining. This means it's time for a day off. I might even take a nap today!

Anyway, two good things happened yesterday. One, despite my physical exhaustion, my lungs and heart are feeling super strong. My sprints to first are fast, and I catch my breath very quickly afterwards. It's funny, I was faced with a similar situation to Rob in my softball game. I hit a ball to first, causing the first baseman to get off the bag to go retrieve it, then race back to the bag to try and get me out. Well, like Rob, I was faced with either running him over, diving over him, or just stopping and letting him get me out. Well, I turned on the jets, hit the bag at almost the same time as him (though a step faster), and ran him over. He bounced off of me and rolled around on the ground. it was like a linebacker delivering a hit to a wide reciever across the middle. We were both fine, but when he got up he said "you're much faster than you look". Pretty much, yeah. There are only a few things I'm going to miss about being a "big guy", and this is one of them.

The second good thing is that we ordered pizza (the bad kind) during the game, and despite the fact that I was downright starving, I skipped it. I have to admit that I did look at it a few times with the intention of eating it, but I thought about how crappy it would make me feel, and how it's probably not worth it anyway, and skipped it.

What a difference

2007-10-01T04:38:00.000-07:00

One day can make.

Weight: 276
5 Day Average: 273.5

Food (over the weekend):
Saturday - 10:30 - 1 serving oatmeal with almonds, raisins, and protein powder
1:00 - Small roasted vegetable pizza (healthy pizza)
4:30 - promax bar
7:30 - 10pm - 5-6 glasses of wine and 4-5 slices of pizza (not healthy pizza)

Sunday - 10:30 - eggs with veggies, sausage, roasted potatoes, and toast
12:30 - Promax bar
3:30 - banana
5:30 - banana
6:30 - Filet mignon, broccoli, 1 baked potato, tomato and arugala salad
8:30 - Promax bar

So, a bit of cleanup to do after this weekend, but it could have been worse. I knew I'd be eating pretty questionably on Saturday, but I probably should have stopped drinking wine at 3-4 glasses (I would have felt better on Sunday and might have cut down on the pizza). The only thing I'd change from yesterday is to have more complete meals, a bit healthier choices for breakfast, and drop the baked potato for dinner. Next time, we'll write down the exact meals we are planning to have. I expect the extra poundage will be gone again by Wednesday. Also, I don't have any weekend indiscretions planned for this week, so I should be able to push through it with no problem.

Workout: 3 rounds for time of
35 double unders
25 thrusters with 75# (combination of squat and shoulder press)
15 pull-ups (substituted with ring rows)
completed in 29:14

The eating over the weekend and the hangover on Sunday really killed me today. My lungs and cardio were good, but my coordination and strength were way off. I'm pretty disappointed in this performance (although it's miles ahead of where I was last month), and I don't know if I'm going to be drinking alcohol like that again for a while.

There was some good coming out of the weekend. I had an awesome time in Santa Cruz, and my Cal Bears pulled out an amazing victory over the Ducks to move to #3 in the polls! I've got tickets to the USC game, so I hope they can stay undefeated until that showdown.

Also, I did a resting heart rate check this morning, and it was between 45-48 bpm. I hadn't done one in a month or two, but the last time I did it, it was in the 65-75 bpm range. This program must be working!