They're zero-drop shoes with wide toe-boxes and barely-there soles (though the outsole is studded with grippy lugs to facilitate trail running). And while they're not made with CrossFit in mind, they look like a worthy competitor to the Merrell Trail Gloves and New Balance Minimus MT10s.
I remember eying the Neo Trails a few months ago when I saw a sneak peek online, but promptly forgot about 'em when the NB MX20s came out.
Aside from a pair of Onitsuka Tigers Rotation 77s, the only shoes I wear to the office these days are from the VivoBarefoot line, but I've never tried any of the brand's athletic shoes. Sadly, I may have to wait a little while longer to give the Neo Trails a shot; with a $130 price tag, these babies are $45 more than my current favorites in the gym.
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT BY THE PENTAGON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER ON BEHALF OF DA WASHINGTON DC//DAPE-HRI//
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR EXCEPTION TO POLICY TO PUBLISH ALARACT MODIFYING WEAR OF IMPROVED PHYSICAL FITNESS UNIFORM (IPFU)
THE PURPOSE OF THIS MESSAGE IS TO MODIFY THE EXISTING WEAR POLICY FOR THE (IPFU).
THERE ARE A VARIETY OF MINIMALIST RUNNING SHOES AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AND WEAR. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ONLY THOSE SHOES THAT ACCOMMODATE ALL FIVE TOES IN ONE COMPARTMENT ARE AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR. THOSE SHOES THAT FEATURE FIVE SEPARATE, INDIVIDUAL COMPARTMENTS FOR THE TOES, DETRACT FROM A PROFESSIONAL MILITARY IMAGE AND ARE PROHIBITED FOR WEAR WITH THE IPFU OR WHEN CONDUCTING PHYSICAL TRAINING IN MILITARY FORMATION.
Interesting. Sounds like the Army thinks that splay-toed footwear is so ugly that it can't be worn even for PT.
Okay -- I'll admit that certain models of Vibram FiveFingers are ridiculously garish, and I can see why the Army (which has a pretty tight dress code as it is) would barf all over have an issue with soldiers who look like they dipped their feet in fluorescent paint.
Is that just a convenient excuse for me to buy a crapload of shoes? Maybe.
But it doesn't mean I'm interested in lugging a suitcase filled with shoes to the gym every day. Instead, my ongoing mission is to find a pair of go-to shoes that can serve as my Swiss Army knife / utility infielder / jack-of-all-trades for all kinds of CrossFit workouts.
During my neverending search, it's been fascinating to trace the waxing and waning footwear trends within the CrossFit community. Even in the relatively short time I’ve been doing CrossFit, I’ve watched the tide shift from Chucks and skate shoes to Vibrams and minimalist footwear. (See this post for more about my experiences with the aforementioned shoes.)
The Inov-8 f-Lite 195s and 230s (and the new Road-X 233s) are super-lightweight and feature a glove-like fit, making ‘em a fantastic choice for pull-ups, box jumps, burpees, ring dips, knees-to-elbows -- pretty much any movement that involves quick and/or light feet. The absence of a chunky, cushioned heel makes Inov-8s great for POSE running, too. (The heel-to-toe drops range from 3mm to 6mm.)
But Inov-8 has its limitations, too. Some complain about the narrow toe box, which makes these shoes a bit too snug for those of us with big, wide feet. Inov-8 also seems to have a problem keeping enough inventory on hand to meet the demands of CrossFitters and runners who are clamoring for a pair or three.
Thankfully, there are more than a few new options that have recently arrived on the market to sate the hordes of footwear-hungry WOD monsters out there.
I recently picked up a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves as well as a pair of New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. Both are minimalist trail-running shoes that try to provide a barefoot-like experience to athletes. Both feature Vibram-made and -branded outsoles. And both are quickly picking up devotees in the CrossFit community -- especially those who are keenly aware of the benefits of barefoot training. Iin particular, the Minimus shoes are now popping up in boxes all over the place.
First up: The Merrell Trail Glove -- a pretty good option if you're looking for an all-around CrossFitting shoe.
It’s a zero-drop shoe, which makes barefoot fans (like me) salivate. The Trail Gloves are light; they weigh just a bit more than the Inov-8 195s (6.2 ounces versus 6.0 ounces), and their thin, flexible soles offer plenty of ground feel (albeit not as much as a pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSOs) and “stick.” The outsole doesn’t feature a lot of grooves and lugs for added traction, but that hasn’t bothered me; the soles grip the top of a wooden plyo box just fine. Plus, while the exterior styling of the shoe isn’t going to dazzle anyone, it’s not going to attract any open-mouthed stares, either -- a problem M and I face all the time when we strut around town in our gorilla-toed FiveFingers.
As for the inside of the Trail Gloves, the lack of inserts and the smooth fabrication of the interior lining help prevent blisters and rashes. And unlike the Inov-8s, the Trail Gloves offer tons of room in the toe box -- toe splaying is definitely not a problem in these shoes.
Still, I’m finding the Trail Gloves to be a little too snug in other areas. The ankle collar feels overly tight, and the midfoot is especially constricting. It almost feels like there’s too much support through the arch. I know -- it’s weird to be complaining about a supportive arch, which most folks seek out in new athletic shoes. But it’s probably my biggest complaint about this shoe, which I otherwise love wearing for CrossFit WODs.
Two days after buying a pair of Trail Gloves, I got word that New Balance’s first minimalist shoe -- the Minimus Trail -- had arrived at my favorite local running-store-slash-coffee-joint, Zombie Runner. I was powerless to resist. I had to try ‘em (I’m not very good at self-denial, and I'm a huge proponent of instant gratification), so I rushed over and bought a pair. And I don’t regret it for a second.
I flat-out love my Minimus Trails. First of all, they look awesome. (After wearing Vibram FiveFingers for a couple of years, I'd almost forgotten the simple pleasures of wearing non-hideous shoes.) The exterior mesh upper wraps all the way around the shoe, enveloping an inner webbing that grips the foot snugly. The outsole -- also made by Vibram -- is appropriately craggy, offering solid traction and side-to-side stickiness.
The Minimus Trails are a little heavier than some of the other shoes I’ve tried, weighing in at 7.45 ounces. But when they’re on, I don’t notice much of a difference. They’re still feather-light on your feet.
And although these shoes aren’t zero drop (they have a 4 mm heel-to-toe drop), the ever-so-slightly-beefier heel doesn’t take away from the ground feel at all. There’s still nowhere near the level of cushioning that you’d find on a typical running shoe.
Plus, the extra few millimeters on the heel actually makes the Minimus more versatile for CrossFitting; when chugging through a WOD that incorporates O-lifting, I’ve come to appreciate the sturdier heel on these babies. Even that tiny bit of extra stability when cranking out heavy clean-and-jerks can make a huge difference.
Lastly, the Minimus Trails feel great on my feet, with loads of room in the toe box for my wiggly piggies and plenty of flex throughout the shoe. In contrast to the Merrell Trail Gloves, the Minimus shoes don’t girdle your midfoot.
The interior is almost sock-like, with soft, smooth fabrics. The seams and stitching are not noticeable. There’s a plushness to the inside of the shoe that makes the Minimus a pleasure to put on. After I first took ‘em out of the box and put them on, I seriously wanted to sleep in these shoes.
(If you're interested Barefoot Running University has an extensive write-up about the New Balance Minimus Trail shoes -- check it out here.)
I’m still enjoying my Merrell Trail Gloves, but when I head out the door for my morning classes at CrossFit Palo Alto, I usually grab my Minimus Trails. (I still change into my weightlifting shoes at the gym if we’re practicing a lift.) I loved working out in my Chucks and FiveFingers, but in my opinion, my Minimus Trails (and Merrell Trail Gloves, too) are better able to tackle whatever Tim decides to throw at us. Plus, unlike Inov-8s, my gut tells me that New Balance ain't gonna run out of stock.
Got myself a new pair of shoes yesterday. I've been lurking around Zombie Runner for weeks, hoping for the next shipment of Inov-8 F-Lite 195s to arrive -- but I got a little tired of waiting. So when I spied a pair of red Merrell Trail Gloves (see reviews here and here) at REI, I snatched 'em up.
They're zero-drop and feature Vibram soles, so I was itching to give 'em a try. I did my first workout in these shoes this morning, and they felt fantastic: roomy in the toe box, with great ground feel.
This doesn't mean I still don't want a pair of Inov-8s, though. The elusive 195s are still on my wish list -- not to mention the new X-Lite 155s that Tim told me about.
And for good measure, a new pair of skate shoes -- my first pair in, oh, about 23 years. Brian Mackenzie's a big fan of DCs for all-around CrossFitting, and the man knows his stuff.
Still, I suspect I'm too much of a nerdy geezer to pull off the skater look these days.
In a way, Christopher McDougall is responsible for sparking my interest in evolutionary fitness and Paleo nutrition. Even though his focus is on barefoot running, McDougall's book, "Born to Run," presented a compelling argument that applies equally to running and eating:
If hunter-gatherers (both ancient and modern) can run/eat/live more healthfully than their "civilized" counterparts who heel-strike in cushioned running shoes and fatten up on super-refined low-fat junk, why the hell do we think that these modern conveniences are so great for us?
It's a little disheartening, then, to see that there's some internecine warfare a-brewin' between the barefoot endurance running camp and the disciples of Art De Vany's "less is more" approach. The former say that humans are built to run long distances; the latter say that endurance running is a recipe for disaster. But I see more similarities than differences: Both espouse a philosophy of going back to evolutionary basics, and eschewing the crutches of Western civilization that turn out to be more harmful than helpful. John Durant has a nice write-up that tries to reconcile the two viewpoints, but for me, it boils down to this:
If you're someone who loves endurance running, go for it (provided you're not in footwear with a big-ass cushioned heel). But while humans may be "born to run," I'm not planning to go on any super-long runs because: (1) I'm lucky enough to have access to grassfed meat and wild game without having to engage in persistence hunting, (2) I get bored easily, and (3) endurance running ain't necessary -- or even optimal -- for fitness. Analogy: Just 'cause the Masai can thrive on milk and blood doesn't mean I need to get in touch with my inner vampire to eat healthfully. Just as with Paleo nutrition, the way we run should be based on "a logical framework applied to modern humans -- not a historical reenactment."
This time, before leaving California, I'd arranged to drop into a local CrossFit affiliate. The island has several CrossFit gyms, and the one closest to where we're staying is one of the newest; it's not yet fully stocked with equipment, and most members are brand-new to CrossFit (even more so than me). But the owner/coach is open and friendly, and the programming seems solid.
Warm-Up:
Unlike my gym back home, where each of us gets loose and ready however we like, the warm-ups here are directed by the coach. Today, we were instructed to warm up with a little taste of Cindy: Instead of 20 minutes of pull-ups, push-ups and squats, though, we did just three rounds. In the sticky morning heat, it was enough to get me sweating.
It also reminded me of a CrossFit saying (that I've always disliked for its braggadocio, but with which I agree): "My warm-up is your workout."
And so, after the mini-Cindy, the workout began in earnest.
Strength Skills:
Barbell Hang Cleans (5 sets of 3)
Dumbbell Floor Presses (5 sets of 5 per side)
The hang cleans weren't difficult, but the floor presses were new to me -- at least in a CrossFit setting. (I'd been introduced to them before as part of my Turbulence Training routine from earlier in the year, but I often subbed in bench presses instead.) I like new things, so I had fun with them.
The best part: Practicing a compound motion requiring full-body neuromuscular coordination (hang cleans) and then throwing in some pure strength work (floor presses) for good measure.
Metcon:
CrossFit isn't CrossFit without a metcon, right?
For time:
10 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
9 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
8 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
7 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
6 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
5 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
4 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
3 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
2 overhead kettlebell swings
Run 100 meters
1 overhead kettlebell swing
Run 100 meters
I've done this one twice before. But it's one thing to do a crazy metcon in the pre-dawn chill of northern California. It's another thing entirely to do one in the mid-morning humidity of Maui. I still managed to fly through this one, finishing in 7:37 (7 seconds faster than my previous effort), but I'm pretty sure I've never before perspired that much in just seven-and-a-half minutes.
I’m all about going barefoot as much as possible, but unless you’re Fred Flintstone, Zola Budd or a Hobbit, you can’t go shoeless all the time.
That’s fine by me. It’s easy for me to decide what to put on my feet. I’m no Imelda Marcos, Carrie Bradshaw or Fat Joe, so I don’t have the daily dilemma of having to pick from a million shoes in my closet. As long as I have footwear that's comfortable, appropriate for the activity, and not terrible for my feet, I’m pretty much good to go.
So: Every morning, I slip on a pair of Terra Plana Barefoot shoes before heading to the office, and as soon as I’m home, I kick off my shoes and pad around in my bare feet.
You’re probably sick of the lavish praise I’ve heaped on Vibram FiveFingers, but I love ‘em to death. Over the past year or so, I’ve acquired a pair of Sprints, two pairs of KSOs, and a pair of Bikilas. (And judging by the fact that M has even more pairs of FiveFingers, she’s even crazier about them than I am.)
When I did P90X and Insanity in my garage, I got accustomed to working out without any shoes on. Now that most of my workouts are done at my CrossFit box, I want something on my feet -- but something that's as close to being barefoot as possible.
Of all my FiveFingers, my black KSOs are the least gaudy, so they're the ones I wear at the gym when my workout primarily involves running, jumping, balance or deadlifts. You know why I run in them, and you can probably guess why I wear them when attempting box jumps, pistols and single-leg deadlifts. But why wear FiveFingers when deadlifting? Because they’re stable and allow for virtually no compression (and therefore little to any absorption of force by a thick, cushioned sole). Plus, the closer your feet are to the floor, the less distance you’ll have to hoist the barbell up. Barefoot’s the best for deadlifts, but FiveFingers are a close second. (I'm thinking about trying a pair of Terra Plana's EVO minimalist running shoes, too.)
But for just about every other Olympic lift (e.g., snatches, cleans, jerks, front squats, etc.), I’ll don a pair of weightlifting shoes. Why buy weightlifting shoes instead of just pulling on a pair of cross-trainers or running shoes? Starting Strength's Lon Kilgore and Mark Rippetoe explain:
Proper footwear in the gym is important, especially if you are lifting free weights. When we lift weights we want two things to happen: (1) all the force our body produces under the bar should contribute to moving the weight and (2) the weight needs to be controlled in a safe manner. If we lift in a running shoe, it's akin to trying to lift while standing on a giant marshmallow. The soles of the running shoes, the marshmallow, will absorb and dissipate a large amount of the force generated against the floor that should be directed towards moving the weight... You can't lift as much weight in the wrong shoes.
The second issue is control of the weight -- and your body -- while standing on an unstable surface. A compressible medium placed between the feet and the ground will behave inconsistently enough during each rep to alter the pattern of force transmission every time. This means that the subtle points of consistent good technique on any standing exercise are impossible to control. And there is an increased chance for a balance or stability loss-induced injury while lifting heavy weights, since perfect balance cannot be assured on an imperfect surface.
For you visual learners, here's a video that shows the differences between O-lifting with running shoes and weightlifting shoes:
I bought a pair of Adidas Ironworks 3s, and love the solid THUNK! that the solid wooden heels make against the floor when I properly execute a clean. It’s gotten to the point that I can tell whether my technique is off by just listening to the sound of my shoes striking the floor.
Rogue, for its part, carries a pair of fine-looking Do Wins that almost resemble casual sneakers (except for the wooden sole, I guess).
And, of course, if you like the bowling-shoe look and insist on wearing ruby-red footwear, you can always pick up a pair of these babies:
So when do I bust out my all-black, sinister-as-hell Chuck Taylors? Any time we do a metcon that combines running or jumping with O-lifting. My Chucks hit a sweet spot: They feature a flat, close-to-solid heel that allows me to powerfully land and plant my feet for all kinds of explosive lifts, yet the soles are also thin enough that I can run in them comfortably without royally messing up my gait. In my Chucks, I can do just about anything that a CrossFit WOD calls for: plyo box jumps, erg rowing, thrusters, cleans, kettlebell swings, you name it. Besides, I’ve been wearing Chuck Taylors since I was a kid, and I don’t think I'll ever give ‘em up.
Best of all? They’re cheap, and you can wear ‘em around town even when you’re not exercising like a demon. So if you’re on a tight budget but need a pair of good, multi-purpose shoes, Chucks are a fine way to go.
But whatever you do, stop working out in running shoes. ("But what if I'm training like crazy for a marathon or an ultra?" you ask. My response: cut it out.)
Single-Leg Deadlifts (3 sets of 3, and then 3 sets of 1, working up to a 1-rep max)
These continue to confound me, especially as I kept loading on more weight. I tried doing 'em with a straight lifted leg (the way everyone else seems to be doing this exercise), and found that it's a lot easier to maintain balance and power, but my coach told me to cut it out. "Keep your back knee tucked in," he instructed. "Kicking your leg out throws your hips out of alignment. And try not to put your back foot down."
Fine. I'll just keep wobbling. At this point, I'm able to hoist a barbell loaded with the equivalent of my bodyweight while balancing on one leg, but it ain't pretty.
Metcon:
A fun one today.
3 rounds for time:
400-meter run (in my Vibram FiveFingers, as usual)
12 Renegade rows (using a pair of 45-pound dumbbells)
Result: 8:03. I'm happy with my time. I didn't take any mid-set or between-set breaks, and transitioned quickly from one exercise to the next. It's been a while since I last did renegade rows as part of a WOD, but they weren't that bad, even using the RX'ed weight. I could have run a bit faster, I suppose, but wanted some gas left in the tank for the sit-ups and rows.
I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I'm able to fly through Abmat sit-ups without much trouble or effort. I'd suspected I was doing them wrong, but my coach watched me perform today's workout, and didn't seem to have a problem with my technique. Could it be that all my Ab Ripper X practice from last year is paying off?
The good folks at Re-Nest want you to know that there are lots of advantages to having a home gym that’s “both handsome and healthful,” such as: “[y]ou can watch television to make the time pass quickly during your 20-40 minute cardio” and “you are comfortable and completely at ease.”
YES! FINALLY! That’s EXACTLY what I want when I'm exercising: Complete comfort and ease! While watching TV to kill time!
Here’s Re-Nest’s recommended shopping list for starting your very own super-chill home gym on a budget:
That bench makes me want to put on some Coldplay and curl up in a Snuggie with a soothing cup of fucking chai latte. It does not, however, make me want to work out. I daresay that if you plan on using an upholstered ottoman in place of an exercise bench, you’re pretty much committing to either NOT sweating or investing in a Costco-sized pallet of Scotchgard.
Don't get me wrong. I’m not saying you have to accumulate a crapload of equipment to outfit your home gym. But if you have $400 burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to buy some stuff to enable you to ACTUALLY WORK OUT, consider these options instead:
A pull-up bar. This time, let’s splurge on something nicer – let’s go for the StudBar. $139.45
Olympic rings – prices on Amazon range from $39.95 (for rings by XFit Equipment) to $84.24 (for EXF Rings – I have a pair and love 'em)
A kettlebell. Kettlebell King -- the cheapest KB seller I could find online -- sells them for about a buck per pound. For our purposes, let's start with a 35-pound kettlebell. $34.65
A while back, after reading Wired's feature article about the Nike+ system, I got curious. I'm no stat junkie, but the prospect of being able to easily log all my running data -- times, mileage, maps -- using an iPod and an Internet connection appealed to the gadget enthusiast in me.
Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that Nike+ requires users to purchase a tiny, proprietary sensor under the cushioned insert of compatible Nike running shoes. And as a convert to Vibram FiveFingers and barefoot running, there was no way I was going to buy a pair of running shoes -- not even the pseudo-minimalist Nike Frees.
[I]t just became obsolete: Nike has all but replaced it with software. Available now in the App Store, the big change in Nike+ GPS is right there in its name. The new app uses the GPS radio in compatible iDevices to track your runs and plot them on a map, and also uses the accelerometer in the iPhone to record your pace. Because it uses the accelerometer to track your steps, it also works with the iPod Touch, although no maps will be displayed as you run. You could even use it on the iPad, although you’d look pretty stupid.
The reviews have been generally positive -- and it only costs $1.99, which is several hundred dollars cheaper than the Garmin Forerunner I bought (and rarely use). If you're a runner with a compatible iPod or iPhone, get thee to the App Store.
There are six models in the range -- priced between £80 and £90 – all of which use the same Vibram sole unit with minimal support and cushioning. The theory, based on bare-foot running, is that removing cushioning and stiffening allows the foot to move more naturally and encourages forefoot striking rather than heel landing, which is only possible because of mid-sole cushioning ... It's interesting stuff and the first barefoot shoes we've seen designed for general outdoors walking rather running.
Tim Ferriss, author of the bestselling self-help book, The 4-Hour Workweek, is full of himself -- a trait I don't appreciate in most people (besides myself), but for some reason, it totally works for Ferriss. Yes, he brags a lot (check out his book for self-glorifying anecdotes about his phenomenal successes in business, martial arts, ballroom dancing, learning Japanese, etc.), but unlike some people, he's not all talk -- he's the real deal. Here are some snippets from his Wikipedia entry:
Ferriss founded BrainQUICKEN, a San Jose-based online company that sells sports nutrition supplements. He sold the company in January 2009 to an unnamed private equity firm. He is now a full-time angel investor and has invested in the following companies: Twitter, Posterous, DailyBurn (formerly Gyminee), Reputation Defender, Foodzie, Badongo, Rescue Time, and SimpleGeo. He also acts as an advisor to StumbleUpon and Shopify, which he has alluded to in interviews with Kevin Rose are in exchange for equity.
He holds the Guinness Book of World Records' record for the most consecutive tango-spins in one minute. Ferriss and his dance partner Alicia Monti set the record live on the show Live with Regis and Kelly. Prior to his writing career, Ferriss served as an advisor to professional athletes and Olympians and was a National Chinese Kickboxing Champion, a title he won through a process of shoving opponents out of the ring for which he was nicknamed "sumo." In 2008, he won Wired Magazine's "Greatest Self-Promoter of All Time" prize and was named one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People of 2007." Ferriss has also spoken at the EG Conference.
His show "Trial By Fire" aired on the History Channel in December 2008. In the show, Ferriss had one week to attempt to learn a skill normally learned over the course of many years and in the pilot episode he practiced the Japanese art of horseback archery, Yabusame.
And the guy's only 33. God, I'm a slacker.
I picked up Ferriss' book some time ago and have been slowly adopting some of his productivity tips (using Evernote to organize my cluttered life, for example). But I only recently started checking out his blog, which contains some useful information about personal fitness and nutrition. For example:
For three days only -- July 2 to July 5 -- you can buy Terra Plana shoes for 40 percent off. Use the code JULY4 at checkout when you make your purchases on Terra Plana's website.
I love my Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot shoes. They're durable, comfortable, and unlike Vibram FiveFingers, they offer a barefoot-like experience without drawing everyone's attention to your feet. My eyes are up here, people.
We’re (finally) back home from our family vacation, so beware: I am about to bore you with details of our Alaskan cruise.
Alaska was beautiful (but what's with all the Sarah Palin calendars for sale? And in June?) and the weather couldn’t have been better, but there wasn’t a whole lot we could do with our kids and our parents in tow. It turns out that AARP members and pre-schoolers don’t have a lot of mutual interests other than the ship’s all-you-can-eat buffet. We ate plenty of meals at the two main dining rooms onboard, but the buffet restaurant scored the biggest hit with our family. The kids loved the 24-hour access to ice cream and French fries, and their grandparents enjoyed ingesting massive -- possibly toxic -- amounts of fruit. (They were taking no chances with scurvy.)
M and I carefully steered clear of the buffet's endless aisle o’ bread ‘n pastries, which didn’t look all that appetizing to me despite the homey glow of the heat lamps. Still, it was eye-opening to witness some of our fellow passengers load up their plates with as much carbohydrate content as possible. (I saw someone stack eight pieces of whole wheat toast on her plate and then head over to the pancake station to ladle a huge glob of imitation maple syrup over her tower of bread. She explained to her companion: “The French toast is too soggy.”) The amount of sugary (and sugar-loaded) food items on garish display at the buffet was almost enough to send anyone into diabetic shock by just looking at it.
To be honest, M and I ate a lot, too, but we tried to stick mostly to the meat, eggs and vegetables. Breakfast usually consisted of eggs (or an omelet), bacon, sausage and plain yogurt with berries. For lunch, we had heaping veggie-loaded salads with whatever meat was being carved up. And dinner was usually more meat (steak, pork, lamb, etc.) or fish.
We also ate freakish quantities of nuts. We purchased about eight pounds of nuts in Seattle to bring with us on the ship, and made bags and bags of trail mix in our cabin -- but that wasn’t enough for me. There was a cheese station at the buffet where you could spoon some nuts and dried fruit onto your plate to accompany your cheese slices (or blocks, depending on your level of hunger/gluttony). But every time I passed by, I loaded up whatever empty container I happened to have with me -- coffee cup, soup bowl, Ziplock bag, pants pockets -- with fistfuls of nuts. On the last night of the cruise, I walked by the cheese station again, and they were completely out of nuts. I like to think I had something to do with that.
Besides eating, our primary activities on the ship were: (1) sleeping, (2) keeping the kids from hurtling things overboard (although our five-year-old did manage to kick his shoe into the frigid waters of Glacier National Park), (3) compulsively washing our hands to avoid the risk of contracting illnesses involving “diarrhea and vomiting,” as the helpful signs in the elevators put it, and (4) trying to find time to exercise.
Eighty-five percent of a cruise is spent cooped up in a floating hotel. About a third of that time is spent eating, and another third is spent sleeping. And unless you love gambling, drinking, playing shuffleboard and/or bingo, or buying really overpriced, mass-manufactured “art” on the high seas, you might as well go work out. One great benefit of having lots of adult family members aboard: Free babysitting while you hit the gym.
Sadly, the fitness center on the cruise ship was less than awesome. Sure, the view from the row of cardio machines was incredible; passengers looking to trudge endlessly on the ellipticals and treadmills could gaze for hours out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the water stretching to the horizon. But there was little space in the narrow gym for anything other than cardio and weight machines. Three benches were bracketed by two small dumbbell racks -- and that was it.
And don’t get me started on the water situation. Thirsty gym-goers had three choices: (1) bring their own water bottles; (2) line up at the one water fountain in the busiest corner of the fitness center with a tiny Dixie cup in hand, or (3) pay $4.50 for a bottle of water.
One saving grace? The gym had a pull-up bar. This is huge. Most hotel gyms don’t have one, figuring that a lat pull-down machine is sufficient. For this cruise ship to have a pull-up bar was awesome -- especially for someone like me, who’s just starting to get into CrossFit, a program that heavily features pull-ups.
Another plus: The gym was next to the pool deck, which had lots of sturdy benches built at the edge of the swimming pools. For most of our time at sea, it was too cold for swimming, so the deck was mostly empty, which meant I could use the benches in place of plyo boxes for depth jumping without too many people laughing at me.
Anyway, for those of you who are keeping track, below are my past week’s workouts. None took more than an hour (most took far less time), but with the exception of the Sunday workouts, each day's session kicked me in the balls.
Sunday:
Before we checked out of our hotel in Seattle, I ran from the Westlake Center downtown to Cafe Flora (at East Madison and 29th -- a restaurant we visited regularly when we were last in Seattle) and back. On the way back, I stopped at Trader Joe's and bought a few big bags of nuts, which wasn't a smart idea given that I still had a few more miles to run and no easy way to carry my purchases. (Again: I like nuts.)
Monday:
Bodyweight Fran workout (21-15-9 reps of burpees and pull-ups)
Tuesday:
Half-Angie (50 pull-ups, 50 push-ups, 50 squats, 50 sit-ups), but not done for time 3 X 6 dumbbell bench presses 3 X 6 dumbbell back rows 10 X 10 plyo box jumps 4 minutes Tabata row The other half of Angie (50 pull-ups, 50 push-ups, 50 squats, 50 sit-ups), not done for time
Wednesday:
6 X 5 pull-ups 6 X 4 pistols 100 plyo box jumps (broken up into as few sets as possible) 6 X 25 push-ups 6 X 25 sit-ups 6X 25 squats
Thursday:
5-minutes of L-sit (it look me almost 12 minutes to do this, and my “L” often looked more like an “N”) 50 long-form burpees (1X squat, 1X push-up, 1X sit-up, 1X superman, 1X tuck jump)
Friday:
3 X 6 dumbbell bench presses 3 X 6 dumbbell back rows 3 X 6 pull-ups - feet-to-bar 3 X 6 corkscrew dumbbell shoulder presses 3 X 6 chin-ups - feet-to-bar 3 X 6 pistols
Saturday:
For time: 100 plyo box jumps (it took me 4:10 - ugh) 20 bodyblasters (burpee to pull-up to knees-to-elbows) Run 5K (on the ship’s jogging track, where people kept gawking at my Vibram FiveFingers and saying helpful things like: “You look like you have otter feet.”) 20 more bodyblasters
Sunday (yesterday):
M and I carried a bunch of luggage and two small children off a cruise ship, up and down rainy hills in Seattle, to the airport, on a plane, and off a plane.
Until I fell in love with Vibram FiveFingers and Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot shoes (and reaffirmed my lifelong passion for Chuck Taylor All-Stars), my typical footwear consisted of super-supported, big-ass foot coffins with heavy-duty inserts. M, too, was shod in MBTs and other shoes that offered more cushioning than an air conditioned ass pillow. After discovering the awesomeness of barefoot running and minimalist shoes, we've never looked back.
But what about our kids? They're barefoot a lot, and we put 'em in Chuck Taylors and kung fu shoes, but they're a pain to lace and unlace every time our boys want to run around outside. I suppose that's why Crocs are so popular among preschoolers and lazy adults who evidently don't care that they look like enormous children. (See, e.g., Mario Batali.) There really haven't been a lot of minimalist footwear alternatives for kids -- until now: Terra Plana now makes Vivo Barefoot shoes for kids!
This isn't exactly why I advocate running barefoot, but whatever:
"Without shoes, it's a little like unprotected sex," said San Francisco writer Hank Pellissier, who regularly runs barefoot along the Marina waterfront. "It's a very lively feeling, a heightened awareness, much more sensory."
Does this make Vibram FiveFingers the ultra-thin condoms of running shoes?
The Vibram FiveFingers Bikila running shoe is finally out, but right now, my local Vibram outlet (which is awesome, by the way) currently stocks only the conspicuously bright aquamarine blue version.
With summer around the corner, I'm looking forward to running again, and the Bikilas look great for pounding the pavement. I put a pair on hold, and plan to pick 'em up tomorrow.
sit-ups
