Wednesday's Workout

It was freezing at 5 a.m. -- at least by Northern Californian standards -- but it didn't take long for us to get warm.

AMRAP in 20 minutes:

• 15 pull-ups
• 20 kettlebell walking lunges (24kg / 16kg)
• 25 Abmat sit-ups
• 200-meter row

Before we started, I was convinced the row would be my undoing. Although 200 meters ain't much, I harbor an almost irrational hatred for the erg, and figured the rowing would destroy my legs and leave me gasping for breath. 

Wrong. The kettlebell walking lunges -- something I dismissed as a cakewalk -- was what made my thighs feel like they were going to explode.

We were instructed to carry the kettlebell in whatever position we wanted, so I tried a one-handed farmer's walk grip and a goblet grip, but neither felt comfortable, and I felt off-balance the whole time. Next time, I'm going to experiment with hoisting it on my shoulder. And if all else fails, I'm sticking the damned thing in a backpack and wearing it.

Still, this WOD flew by. I love Abmat sit-ups (especially when my ass crack doesn't split open and bleed). And despite my less-than-fresh grip, I got through the pull-ups quickly enough. (They weren't very pretty, though. Afterwards, Tim coached me to try keeping a level gaze next time to keep from giving myself whiplash.) I treated the rowing as "active rest," so it was surprisingly bearable.

Result: 5 rounds + 7 reps as RXed.

At the end of the 20 minutes, I was on the floor, rolling around and feeling my heart try to pound its way out of my chest.

It felt great.

I Want to Do This One

In the words of my three-year-old, this one looks "goo-OOD!"

• Walking lunge 100 ft.
• 21 Pull-ups
• 21 Sit-ups
• Walking lunge 100 ft.
• 18 Pull-ups
• 18 Sit-ups
• Walking lunge 100 ft.
• 15 Pull-ups
• 15 Sit-ups
• Walking lunge 100 ft.
• 12 Pull-ups
• 12 Sit-ups
• Walking lunge 100 ft.
• 9 Pull-ups
• 9 Sit-ups
• Walking Lunge 100 ft.
• 6 Pull-ups
• 6 Sit-ups

Spealler finished in just 6:42, but the dog looks unimpressed.

Monday's Workout: Filthy

I showed up to class a few minutes before 5 a.m. Tim was already at the whiteboard, writing out today's workout.

I exchanged sleepy hellos with The Marine and the Terminator, and started stretching. One by one, the others arrived, and the low hum of morning conversation filled the gym. But Tim was noticeably silent. I looked over at the board.

He was still writing.

"You can put the pen down anytime," I yelled out. He laughed and kept scribbling.

For time:

• 50 box jumps (24"/20")
• 50 jumping pull-ups
• 50 overhead kettlebell swings (35lbs/26lbs)
• 50 walking lunges
• 50 knees-to-elbows
• 50 push-presses (45lbs/35lbs)
• 50 supermans/back extensions
• 50 wallball shots (20lbs/14lbs)
• 50 burpees
• 50 double-unders

When Muscle & Fitness profiled CrossFit a few years back, it filmed Andy Petranek’s CrossFit L.A. crew doing “The Filthy Fifty,” and described it this way:

Ten up-tempo exercises, each more demanding than the one before it, each requiring 50 near-perfect repetitions. Today, Petranek leads the way and finishes in 20:43 -- besting his previous record on this by nearly eight minutes -- then crumples to the floor struggling to catch his breath.

Yeah, these long metcons are kind of crazy -- but they're also sadistic fun. Once you throw yourself into the workout, the trepidation and pain disappears, and you end up focusing like a laser only on the immediate task at hand. In a way, it's kind of zen. Only sweatier.

I'm not saying I killed this workout. My knees-to-elbows were slow (I desperately need to work on my grip strength) and the wallball shots took forever. By the time I had to launch into my set of 50 burpees, I found that I couldn't string more than four or five together at a time.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed just about everything else that "The Filthy Fifty" had to throw at us. There's nothing like starting a morning flat on your back, making sweat angels on the gym floor and laughing about the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

Result: 29:37 as RXed.

Walking: Not Exactly Straightforward

This makes me want to do walking lunges while blindfolded.



(Source: Boingboing)

Friday's Workout

I woke up feeling great. For the first time in over a week, my joints didn't feel rusty and my muscles didn't ache. Evidently, a little rest does a lot of good. Despite the early hour, I had no problem popping out of bed and hustling over to the gym.

Good thing, too -- given the ass-kicking workout in store for us today. (And I mean that in the best possible way.)

Strength Skill:

• Strict Presses (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)

No bent knees or hip drive to assist in jerking the barbell overhead -- just strict muscle presses, engaging the lats, shoulder girdle and core to force the bar overhead. Yeesh.

But if this kid can do 'em, what's my excuse?

Metcon:

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

• 10 renegade rows (the RX'ed workout calls for two 53-pound kettlebells, but I opted for a pair of 35-pound dumbbells instead)
• 10 walking lunges (holding the same pair of dumbbells)
• 30 plyo box jumps (20" box)

I sometimes wonder if others at the gym think it's weird that I routinely excuse myself to go pee before I start a metcon. But trust me: It's better for everybody. When I'm going balls-to-the-wall, the loss of bladder control is a distinct possibility -- especially after guzzling about 32 ounces of water.

Although today's metcon was a barn-burner (and the lunges made my quads want to scream), I loved it. Plyo box jumps are just plain fun. There's nothing like hopping up and down on stuff like a crazed jackrabbit on meth.

Result: 5 rounds plus 10 renegade rows and 10 walking lunges. I was hoping to complete the sixth round before time ran out, but didn't quite manage to do it. Still, I'm pretty happy with my time, and can't wait to do this one again.

I felt great today -- both before and after the workout. I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that I finally got some quality shut-eye last night. Which begs the question: Why am I still up and blogging instead of going to bed?

Friday's Workout

My workout ended over a half-hour ago and I'm still winded.

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Ring Dips (2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3)

The last time around, I was able to do 'em with 70 pounds -- half my bodyweight -- strapped to me (50 pound weight vest plus 20 pound dumbbell). But that was months ago. This time around, I decided to go lighter, adding just 35 pounds to my bodyweight for my last set today. Ring dips are fun and quick, but having to squeeze heavy dumbbells between my thighs was somewhat less than awesome, especially on a cold morning. (The mathematical formula for this: Cold Metal + Crotch < Awesome.) 

Metcon: 

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 12 minutes:

• 20 Walking Overhead Lunges (holding a 45-pound plate overhead) 
• 15 Plyo Box Jumps (20 inch box) 
• 10 Abmat Sit-Ups (with a mat underneath to prevent ass rashes)
• 5 Pull-Ups

Result: I'd made it through exactly 5 rounds when time ran out.

The sit-ups and pull-ups were a breeze, but the walking overhead lunges and box jumps (back-to-back, no less!) wore me down. The first round didn't seem particularly challenging, but after a few minutes, my legs began shaking. For the first four rounds, I managed to stay in the lead, with one of my classmates -- the guy we call The Terminator -- close behind. But about 8 lunges into my third round, my legs and arms gave out. I dropped the plate, and by the time I managed to hoist it back up, The Terminator had surged ahead, and I wasn't able to close the distance. He got through 5 rounds plus 8 lunges in the 12 minutes.

Secretly, I'm relieved I didn't have time to start a sixth round. The lunges were murder.

Friday's Workout

Three of us showed up to exercise in the dark this morning. Our coach is out of town, but he left us with instructions on what to do. After warming up with a half-mile run to a pitch-black neighborhood park, we did our homework:

And let me tell you: It takes forever to lunge across the length of that park.

Still: No lights, wet grass, chilly weather, morning rain -- all perfect for an outdoor workout with a senior officer in the Marines and a guy whose nickname in class is "The Terminator."

As you probably know by now, I love bodyweight workouts, so this one was right up my alley. The only part I found mildly uncomfortable: Doing sit-ups in the wet darkness, hoping that I didn't pick a spot sprinkled with dog shit.

Result: 12:27.

Monday's Workout

Squat cleans! Three sets of 5, and three sets of 3.

 Today's metcon:

 3 rounds for time:

• 400-meter sprint
• 60' overhead walking lunges (self-explanatory: do walking lunges while holding a weight plate overhead)
• 25 plyo box jumps

I finished (profusely sweating and out of breath) in 11:55.

Afterwards, I went home and completed Day Three of my Power to the People program: 2 sets of 5 deadlifts, 2 sets of 5 presses, and 2 sets of 5 weighted pull-ups.

All before 7 a.m.! (Which means I'm going to collapse before 9 p.m. tonight.)