Back on the Horse

Other than going on a run* every other day while vacationing in Hawaii, I've been laying low to give my wrist the time it needs to recover. It's still not 100 percent, but there've been signs of improvement, and I've been slowly reintroducing some light barbell work in the past week. Last Friday, I did a workout at CrossFit Palo Alto that involved overhead squats (I used an empty barbell), and yesterday, I practiced light (very light) split jerks before cranking out "Helen."

For what it's worth, the OHS workout consisted of:

• 50 reverse lunges (or jumping lunges)
• 20 overhead squats
• 20 toes to bar
• 50 reverse lunges (or jumping lunges)
• 15 overhead squats
• 15 toes to bar
• 50 reverse lunges (or jumping lunges)
• 10 overhead squats
• 10 toes to bar

It was my first workout in a couple of weeks, and I felt a bit more sluggish than usual, but was happy that I was able to get a barbell overhead without discomfort. Result: 13:03.

Yesterday's "Helen" was an eye-opener, though. Helen, as you'll recall, consists of 3 rounds of a 400-meter run, 21 kettlebell swings (24kg), and 12 pull-ups. In August of last year, I completed this workout as RXed in 10:14 -- a new PR. No such luck this time around. Instead, I finished in 11:23 -- more than a minute slower. I'd like to blame my less-than-healthy wrist, but the truth of the matter is that I'm de-conditioned right now -- I was out of breath sooner than expected and got a side-stitch for the first time in forever.

This doesn't feel good. I need to jump back into the saddle.

*One time, I went running with Michelle. Before heading out, I asked her if she wanted to grab a pair of earbuds and listen to music while we ran. She said no. "I want to talk to you while we run," my wife said. I shrugged and we began our run through Kilauea. Michelle spoke throughout our run, but the only words that came out of her mouth were: "I HATE RUNNING. I HATE RUNNING. I HATE RUNNING."

One More Time

I woke up less sore than I thought I'd be, so I headed back to Lahaina CrossFit to squeeze in one last workout before leaving the island.

Warm-Up:

• Row 500 meters
• 20 kettlebell swings
• 20 air squats
• 20 push-ups
• 20 push-presses
• 20 wall balls
• 20 pull-ups
• 20 lunges

We had fifteen minutes to complete the warm-up, which was plenty of time to finish all eight of the warm-up exercises. I was pretty sweaty by the end, though. And while I've never been a huge fan of the "Your Workout Is My Warm-Up" line, it felt apropos this morning.

Strength Skill:

• Push Jerks (5-5-3-3-1-1)

"We're not aiming for a one-rep-max today," Anthony said at the start of the workout. "We're just working on technique."

Nice. My form is rusty, and I couldn't remember my PR anyway. Once I got close to jerking my bodyweight, I called it a day.

Metcon:

"Baker's Dozen" - AMRAP in 13 minutes of:

• 13 kettlebell swings (53lbs / 35lbs)
• 13 kettlebell sumo deadlift high pulls (53lbs / 35lbs)
• 13 toes-to-bar
• 13 burpees

Lucky thirteen. This was a doozy; after ripping through the kettlebell swings and SDHPs, trying to hang on for the toes-to-bar was a special kind of hell. It was enough to make me almost -- almost -- look forward to the burpees.

Result: 4 rounds + 40 reps as RXed.

After class, I lingered to chat with S and K, a super-fit couple in the 8 a.m. class at Lahaina CrossFit. We ran into them last night at the Old Lahaina Luau, where they work. Our family was wowed by S's beautiful hula dancing, and bowled over by K's gregarious charm. (Photos from our luau experience are on M's blog.) They're also two of the most friendly and inviting folks we've met on an island full of generous, warm people, and it was great getting to know them better.



You wouldn't ever know it from looking at him, but K told me that not too long ago, he was over 40 pounds heavier. Then, he and S started doing P90X (8 rounds!) and Insanity, and then moved onto CrossFit. Now, they're looking into Paleo. Sound familiar? I wish I could say that I'm just like S and K, but that would be wishful thinking; I could only hope to be as fit and strong (and nice!) as these two.

Maybe it's something in the water here. Or maybe I should move here to Maui and see if some of the mojo rubs off on me.

Monday's Workout: Mr. Magoo

Loved this morning's workout for three reasons:

• My ankle continues to improve (I was able to run on it today -- kind of!);
• I got to work on squat cleans; and
• Today's metcon was bodyweight-focused -- my favorite!

But in part due to my exuberance, and in part due to the fact that in my rush to get out of the house, I forgot to put in my contact lenses, I screwed up the workout anyway.

More after the jump...

Monday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Jerks (3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 1)

I was feeling pretty good this morning, but jerks are not my forte. Lighter weights (~115 on the barbell) aren't a problem, but I start to struggle a bit when jerking above my bodyweight. The problem: I don't explode under the bar fast enough, and end up short of fully extending my arms in the catch position, which forces me to muscle up the bar.

I felt like the Jerk Store called, and they're running out of me.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes:

• 7 barbell cleans from the floor (105 pounds)
• 8 jumping lunges (just like Mary Katherines from Plyo X)
• 9 hanging knees-to-elbows

Knees-to-elbows have always been a piece of cake for me. It's just a matter of keeping my grip strong and chin tucked in. The rest is just momentum.

Surprisingly, the cleans were kind of fun, too. My technique could use still some additional refinement, but all in all, I think my form's as good as this dude's (and so what if he's just nine years old?).

But doing jumping lunges immediately after a bunch of cleans? Less than enjoyable. My quads were on fire.

Result: In 10 minutes, I made it through 5 rounds + 6 cleans.

Friday's Workout

It's muggy here on Maui today. Perfect for a sweat-tastic workout.

Warm Up:
2 rounds:3 minutes jump rope

• 10 push-ups
• 10 air squats
• 10 pull-ups
• 30 lunges

Strength Skill:

• Overhead Squats (5 sets of 5)

Holy hell -- I'm weak. Granted, this is the first time I've practiced this move outside of a metcon, but even overhead squatting 65 pounds on the barbell was super-challenging. I felt like toppling over every time I descended into the squat, and had to force myself to focus on not turning my knees inward on each ascent. More practice is definitely needed.

Metcon:

For time:

• 15 Clean & Jerks
• 15 Plyo Box Jumps
• 12 Clean & Jerks
• 12 Plyo Box Jumps
• 9 Clean & Jerks
• 9 Plyo Box Jumps

This was a dead sprint. Result: 2:34.

Cash Out:

We flung some ropes around.

And I'm done!