Tuesday's Workout

I'm crazy busy trying to juggle a bunch of projects -- some work related, some not -- but I managed to squeeze in a half-hour of lifting this evening. (It helps that the kids are spending the night with grandma and grandpa -- no hour-long bedtime ritual tonight!)

After a quick warm-up on the erg, I dove into Day Two of the Whole9's version of the Power to the People protocol, following this formula for both deadlifts and strict presses:

• Set 1: +5lbs from Day One, 3-5 reps
• Set 2: 90% of Set 1, 3-5 reps

In particular, the deadlifts -- albeit light -- feel great. I'm doing my best to nail my form, making sure that my butt doesn't rise ahead of the rest of my body, and keeping my head and neck in line with my spine. Also, I'm trying to be slow and deliberate in my movements, both to increase time under tension as well as to train my brain and grease the groove.

Afterwards, I practiced some power cleans and squat cleans, and cooled down with two short sets of ring dips.

And that's all, folks!

Visiting Lahaina CrossFit

After three days of lazily snorkeling, sitting by the pool, and stuffing my face, I was glad to get back into a CrossFit gym.

Lahaina CrossFit sits on a hill just east of the little shopping area around the Cannery Mall on Honoapiilani Highway. It's smack-dab in the middle of a number of spots that we regularly hit when we visit Maui: Star Noodle, Mala Ocean Tavern, Aloha Mixed Plate, the big grocery store that used to be called Lahaina Farms -- West Maui's version of Whole Foods -- but was later sold and is now just a gussied-up Foodland. Hence, getting to the box from our place in Ka'anapali is no sweat.

Anthony Bianucci founded Lahaina CrossFit about a year-and-a-half-ago, and for me, the timing couldn't have been better. I had started doing CrossFit at roughly the same time, so when we made our annual trip to Maui, I was on the hunt for the closest affiliate. I found Anthony's place -- at the time, the box was so brand-spankin' new that it didn't even have bars and bumper plates yet -- and threw myself into a number of WODs during my vacation:

• Monday: Power cleans, floor presses, kettlebell swings and running.
• Tuesday: Pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, squats.
• Wednesday: Double-unders, pull-ups, dumbbell snatches, kettlebell swings, box jumps, push-presses.
• Friday: Overhead squats, clean & jerks, box jumps. (This workout still stands as my fastest-ever metcon, with a time of two-and-a-half minutes.)

In four workouts, we got the kitchen sink. It was fun and challenging, and Anthony's positive energy helped get me through the humid weather and ass-kicking WODs. When I finished my final workout at Lahaina CrossFit last November, I knew I'd be coming back.

More after the jump...

The Dread

When M told me about her (second ever) WOD at CrossFit Palo Alto this morning, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Her class (along with all other Tuesday classes) did "Uphill Fran" today -- and given that I'm a Monday/Wednesday/Friday guy, I missed it.

Uphill Fran is our gym's twist on CrossFit's signature workout, turning the Fran formula of 21-15-9 thrusters and pull-ups on its head. Oh, and it also adds 3 rounds of 400 meter sprints for good measure. Here's what Uphill Fran looks like:

• Run 400 meters
• 9 barbell thrusters
• 9 pull-ups
• Run 400 meters
• 15 barbell thrusters
• 15 pull-ups
• Run 400 meters
• 21 barbell thrusters
• 21 pull-ups

As with most CrossFit WODs, the mere thought of Uphill Fran gets me both excited and nauseous. So on the one hand, a (very small) part of me was jealous that M got to try this workout before I did -- but a much bigger part of me was relieved that I didn't have to suffer through it today. In the end, I'm happy to kick back and enjoy my off day.

After all, as Freddy from CrossFit One World pointed out, rest days are important not just for your body, but for your head:

The rest day is your day to get your mind fresh again. Think about that anxiety you get when you first read what the workout is. We often experience what I like to call "The Dread." Nervousness, anxiety, making up excuses on why you don't need to workout that day..."The Dread" can kick your ass. We need that rest day to get a break from "The Dread." I don't know about you, but I never experience "The Dread" while I am contemplating sitting on my couch and watching "So You Think You Can Dance" reruns on my TIVO.

I don't know about the "So You Think You Can Dance" part, but I'm certainly glad The Dread won't kick in until 5 a.m. tomorrow.

Tuesday's Workout

There's no better way to start off another sunny day on Maui than with a visit to the local CrossFit affiliate, right?

Today: No strength skill practice. Instead, after warming up with some running, walking lunges, and basic calisthenics and stretches, we were off to the races.

Metcon:

3 rounds for time:

• 20 pull-ups
• 30 push-ups
• 40 sit-ups
• 50 air squats

Looks reasonable enough. And no one loves these fast bodyweight workouts more than me. I finished in 11:37, which sounds about right for me.

Afterwards, we "cashed out" by running about 400 meters uphill to the place where we had dinner last night, and then running back. We finished with a quick stretch, and then we were done. The entire workout took less than 45 minutes.

My only complaint about today's WOD: I couldn't find a mat to slide under my ass during the sit-ups -- and you know what that means. I did my best to keep my butt from being rubbed raw, but after class, when I pulled on my snorkeling gear and swam out into the Pacific to check out the coral reef off the beach near our place, the saltwater sting on my rear end was unmistakeable.

Still, ass rash or no, I'm enjoying every minute of this. Some have asked me why I'm so intent on proper eating and exercise. True, it's a lot of work. But the fact that I'm able to be active and spend the entire day swimming, building sand castles and running around with my boys (we caught a frog today!) makes it all worth the while.

(Photo: Ben Warren)