Go make a Sandbag

First off, my stomach is so sore today. I think this is mostly a result of the 200 situps 2 nights ago, but it's possible the hill runs last night had something to do with it. It was tough to roll out of bed.

Today I did a little homework. A while back I came across a couch down the alley that someone had decided to rid themselves of. Opportunity knocking and light bulbs flashing in my brain, I removed the two seat cushions, unzipped them, and made off with the slip covers. They've been sitting on my window sill ever since.

Fast forward to this afternoon. In preparation for a workout later this weekend, I took the covers down to Ankerpark along with some medium sized garbage bags and proceeded to transform them. My method was simple: Fill 4 double thick trash bags with wet sand, stuff them inside the slip cover, and voila! A new toy to play with. Now, I originally thought that I could put 4 sand bags in one cover, but this proved to be waaay too heavy for reasonable usage (I couldn't even get it to my shoulder). So, instead, I split the weight between the slip covers, winding up with 2 functioning sand bags rather than 1.

This is only an estimate, but I'd say each bag weighs around 90 lb. No way to tell for sure, since I don't have a scale, but based on experience with weighted bags in another life, I don't think this estimate is too far off. Also, they're pretty floppy and tough to handle because of the excess slip cover space left unfilled. I had to carry these the 1/2 mile back to my house (2 trips), and their effectiveness cannot be disputed. I was sweating like a pig, fighting to maintain an upright posture, and all around upset that I didn't have a car to help with the burden. This homework assignment had turned into quite a little challenge in its own right.

I plan to use these a lot, perhaps starting with a daily "Walk the Bag" session in the mornings before class. I'm hoping this will significantly strengthen my core and help me to break through some barriers in the deadlift and squatting movements.

Nov 6, 2009

Thursday 11/5 - Cleans in a Corner

Last night I did one of the sneaky-hardest workouts I have ever done. What I mean by that is, the difference between what I expected and what actually transpired was so different that I felt totally unprepared for the consequences. The workout literally snuck up on me. I found my lungs burning all the way down to my stomach, my legs extremely heavy, and my dinner a few burps away from the floor of the gym. All of this I attribute to a piece of equipment that I NEVER use, and deeply distrust in all facets: the treadmill. However, this day, it shredded me.

3 rounds for time:

20 DB squat cleans (16 kg DBs)

40 pushups

400 m treadmill hill run (15% grade)

In order to discourage myself from splitting the run like so often happens on treadmills (grabbing the handlebars, jumping to the side for a breather while the belt still moves), I instituted a 10 burpee penalty for every time I used my hands for anything besides adjusting speeds. This worked, as I never split the run-- and there were plenty of times when I wanted to--and I paid the intended price, cardio-vascularly.

It took me a total of 19:51 to complete. Waaaaay too long, in my opinion. It just felt like the runs were so long, and so taxing that the cleans and pushups (normally no big deal) were devastating. Using the treadmill for hill work was something I used to do in Washington as part of a larger circuit, but never for such a long distance. It's legit hard. If you haven't done it in a while, crank that sucker up to max incline, refuse to get off before you hit the distance, and see what I mean.

Wednesday 11/4 - Back at it

Tonight, I headed back in still feeling a little stiff in the lower back and a little dead overall. I decided to keep the workout short and sweet, and sort of ease back into things.

I started with

3, 2, 1 strict press

and

3, 2, 1 push press

I got to 80 kg on the strict press, but not very cleanly. Couldn't really get myself into it. The push press I got to 97.5 kg, and it felt pretty decent. I think I could have gone higher.

Afterwards I did a 10 minute AMRAP couplet:

2 elevated HSPU

20 situp

I finished 10 rounds in 9:57, exactly what I was hoping for. It seems 2 repetitions of HSPU per minute isn't enough to overwhelm my shoulders. Next time I include them, I'll know to do more.

Overall, luke warm feeling after today. Think I may need some more rest before things feel back to normal.

Scandinavian Crossfit Challenge, The Experience

I left Leiden at 12:00 pm on Friday afternoon. After changing trains 5 times, twice unsuccessfully, I arrived in Kiel, Germany at 8:40 pm. Nightmarish doesn't quite describe this initial leg of my travel experience. In addition to the extra time and effort required to rework the mistakes I made, I had the added stress of thinking I had missed my Berlin friends in Kiel due to my incompetence. Thankfully, they were still there, only having arrived 20 minutes prior. Needless to say, it was a relief to not have been left behind.

From there we drove 6 hours to Halmstad, Sweden, crossing a few monstrous bridges and traversing the Nordic coastline for much of the voyage. We arrived just after 3 am. That's roughly 15 hours of travel, for those of you keeping track. The return leg of the journey provided more of the same, with us missing a ferry, and my having to stay the night in Berlin rather than trek back across the continent in the dead of night. All told, I think I logged 32 hours of car/train time on this trip. I mention these details only to place my overall feeling for the weekend in the proper perspective. It's a testament to how well the event was organized, how great the people were, and how much I enjoyed the experience that I emerged so happy in spite of my travel woes.

The hospitality of my German travel mates having already been elaborated on in previous posts (their legend only continues to grow), I will try to focus the reflections for this trip on the new friends I made and the impressions I found most lasting.

First, the spread was impressive. The Eleiko facility was beautiful, large, and nicely tucked away on the edge of town. For all events we were using state of the art equipment (incredible bars, brand new kettlebells, chrome plated bumper plates, etc). The place was, in a word, loaded.

Equally prepared for our arrival was the staff, supplied mostly by Crossfit Nordic out of Stockholm. These guys, led by Mads Jacobsen and Martin Altemark, were organized, friendly, professional, and incredibly encouraging during every event. They set the tone for the entire competition with their enthusiasm, intensity, and welcoming demeanor.

The competitors covered a broad spectrum of nationalities, with representatives from Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belarus. All told, I think there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 competitors, male and female combined, all of whom I found to be very interesting, kind, and dedicated people. I’m actually looking forward to spending time with many of them in the coming months when I visit Copenhagen and southern Germany.

The combination of these factors (facility, staff, and competitors) created an atmosphere that permeated the competition, an atmosphere that reminded me very much of the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier I went to last April in Virginia Beach, and of the Games in Aromas this past summer. People were motivated without hostility, focused without stress, driven to achieve but also interested in other's success. This is very different than the environment you encounter in most competitive arenas, and it is, in many ways, the defining memory I took with me from Sweden.

In total, this weekend consolidated my previous experiences with Crossfit events, and enabled me to distill the essential characteristic that I find redeeming therein: The most important victory is not that of the individual over the competition, but of the individual over the event. This is not meant to be a cheesy, rah rah, “find true strength within” kind of statement. On the contrary, it is meant to be an empirical observation of the collective strength and the unique standards for appreciation present at these competitions. Take an example from this past weekend…

The second WOD on Saturday was 50 double unders, 30 overhead anyhows with 60 kg, and 50 double unders, for time. I did well in this event, performing the movements smoothly and cleanly, finishing in 3:46, and posting the best time by over a minute. By every known competitive standard, it would be logical to assume that my performance in this event was the most “impressive” turned in. Not so. Not even close.

Two heats before me, an individual failed to complete the WOD in under the 15-minute time limit, yet put my performance to shame. His technique on the double unders was sloppy. His clean and jerks were a downright struggle from the first repetition. Five repetitions in, I could see the pain on his face as the idea of not finishing crossed his mind. A few spectators rushed to his aid, encouraging him to continue. Then, an astonishing fact circulated the room: prior to the event, he’d never done a clean with more than a broomstick. A BROOMSTICK. Because his affiliate didn’t have access to a bar, his experience coming into the competition was limited to technical practice with a weightless wooden handle.

Needless to say, the entire audience became captivated, inspired by, and invested in this individual, for obvious reasons. For the remaining time, he was flooded with coaching tips from staff members and showered with cacophonous applause from the crowd. The place went absolute bananas every time he completed a repetition. I can’t imagine a more concerted effort by a group of strangers to propel someone to whom they have absolutely no allegiance. Collapsed on the ground after the 15 minutes had expired, having fallen just 20 double unders short of completion, he was congratulated by every single person there and looked truly triumphant. When I finished the event, I got one high five and a thumbs up.

Some might explain the diverging standards for success displayed in normative competitive athletics and this example by pointing to the relative degree of difficulty the event represented for each of us. True, but I think it’s more. This wasn’t just an appreciation for individual effort. Such an appreciation is, after all, no unique phenomenon. In traditional sports, there’s a long history of respecting an opponent who fought hard, didn’t give up, and lost while giving maximum effort. Coaches preach this idea to kids all the time. “If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we're gonna be winners.”

–Norman Dale

However, anyone who’s played competitive sports knows this to be merely motivational rhetoric. While the message is true and integral to playing the game correctly, the bottom line in sports is still, and always will be, winning and losing. Just ask the defeated party whether the fact that he played hard made him feel any better about losing the game. His reaction will be far less positive than that which I witnessed in Halmstad.

Such is not the case at Crossfit events. Honestly, past a certain point in any WOD, I don’t think anyone truly cares about anything besides being done. All competitive concerns fade away, leaving a contest between the individual and the workout, a fight between will and pain. This is the new competitive standard. It’s what the audience recognized in Sweden, and it’s why they chose to applaud the struggle.

I think it’s this unique element that keeps Crossfit competitive without devolving into the absolute, win/loss world of traditional sport (in fact, I don't see it as a sport at all). It’s the element that I see saving the larger program from the runaway success of the Crossfit Games. Without it, I think it would be very easy to lose sight of the primary goal of the model (fitness for every challenge in life) and to focus on other, less important aspects (fitness as a measure between individuals).

I want to say thanks again to those responsible for the facility, organization, and running of the Scandinavian Crossfit Challenge in Halmstad. It really was an incredible weekend.

From Nov 1, 2009_2

Scandinavian Crossfit Challenge, The Workouts

So it is Monday night, and I am back. I've decided to split this post into 2 sections over 2 days (the workouts and the experience) since so much transpired this weekend. I just think it would be too much to write about in a single post. So, here goes...

WOD 1: 1K run with 16 kg kettlebell

First, this was more than 1K. I would put it closer to 1.5K. Not quite a mile, but very close. The course was basically the perimeter of the Eleiko facility x 2. As I and the Berlin guys arrived late due to navigation troubles, we were split between the last two heats, giving us the benefit of seeing the course, but the detriment of not warming up too well. The challenges for this event were the cold air, the awkwardness of the kettlebell, and the extra weight. Propping it on one shoulder proved the best technique, but I must have switched shoulders 6 times during the run. Hence, my traps are pretty bruised from the jostling.

The first lap wasn't too bad, just hard to get air into the lungs when it's cold and you're supporting extra weight above your heart. I came around in 3:40, and decided I needed to pick it up a bit. The leader in the clubhouse was 7:27. I pushed harder, really started feeling my legs, and could feel the fatigue affecting the stability of the weight. Still, I was able to finish hard and cross the line in 7:26. Turned out to be a good thing I tried to pick up the pace, seeing that with the extra effort I was still 6 seconds slower than the initial lap. Afterwards my legs were completely jellied, leaving me a little unsure for the rest of the day.

WOD 2 was 30 overhead anyhows, sandwiched between sets of 50 double unders. Going into this workout, I had a pretty decent idea of what to expect, therefore I wasn't too nervous. I took the double unders methodically, and planned to break the lifting into sets of 10. First set I did 10, took 3 breaths, then did 6. Here, I could feel my legs from earlier so I stepped back for a second, then did 4 more quick. Rather than going for the last 10 in one go, I decided to split them into 5's. Just this short break saved my legs a ton. The overhead portion of the movement felt fine the whole way. The last 50 double unders went smoothly and I finished in 3:46. I think the next best time was 4:45. I felt relatively little fatigue after this event compared to the first, probably attributable to the number of heavier metcon I've done recently.

WOD 3, the last of the day, was a 4 minutes Tabata row for meters. What this means is that the ERG machine will only let you record distance for 20 seconds at a time, then it stops for 10 seconds. This is a great way to test recovery and work maximum effort for short intervals. I didn't expect to do too well in this event, mostly because it favors taller, heavier guys because of their stroke length. I went into it trying to shorten the length of my stroke and make up for the stroke length difference with stroke rate. This worked well for the first 4 rounds (I was averaging around 110 meters/ round), but from there I started to lose steam. I think a slower approach at the start may have paid off. I still managed to pull 865 meters, 6th best, but my ass and hamstrings were practically cramped afterwards. I hate rowing, period.

WOD 4, at 8 am Sunday morning. Here we had 4 minutes to establish a maximum effort deadlift, followed directly by 4 minutes to do as many air squats as possible. Strategy was key. Watching the early heats, I saw only two guy pull more than 200 kg, which is my best weight. Thankfully, for me, there weren't many power lifters at this competition. Because every squat counted the same as a kilogram, it didn't make much sense to push too hard on the deadlifts. I did 190 kg, 4th best, without too much trouble. Instead of going for 200 kg or further, I decided to rest the remainder of the time and try to make up the difference on the squats. The judges were pretty strict on the squats, really emphasizing the vertical extension of the top position. I was able to keep a steady pace through the first 3 minutes and accelerate through the final minute. I never stopped and finished with 202 total squats. This gave me a total of 392 points, the highest by just 2 I think.

Only the top 3 point totals after the first 4 events were to compete in the 5th, at which point previous totals meant nothing. So, even though I was in the lead going in, I no longer had any cushion.

WOD 5 was a triplet, which they announced 15 minutes before we started. It was a 12 minute AMRAP of 5 squat clean (60 kg), 7 box jump, and 9 burpee. The fact that it was an AMRAP was a good sign, since I tend to do better in longer workouts where I can pace out the elements. But the exercises were pretty basic, so I didn't think there was much technical advantage either way. The squat cleans proved to be the difference. The 2 guys I was competing against were both a little lighter than me, so the weight was more of a problem for them. They were just as steady on the box jumps and burpees from what I could tell, but I stretched out leads during the lifting portion. I finished 9 full rounds with 5 seconds to spare. 2nd was just short of 8, and 3rd was just short of 7.

Man, did it feel good to be done. My legs and back are tight today, but my upper body feels OK. I think I'm going to rest until Wednesday then get back at it.

Overall, I think I benefited from some technical skill in double unders and the olympic movements that some of the other competitors are still developing. I think, also, my weakness in the deadlift was hidden a bit due to the lack of heavy lifters present. But, I worked really hard and didn't leave much out there. I don't think I underperformed in any of the WODs, so I'm happy with that. Bottom line, it was fun to compete. I've attached video links to 3 of the workouts below.

Heading to Sweden

So I'm off to Halstad, Sweden for the Scandinavian Crossfit Challenge. That means about 7 hours by train and maybe another 3 by car... long day at the office. They posted the events online and they are interesting. Here's what I have to look forward to.

Day 1:

9.00

1 km course run while carrying 16 kg kettlebell

-no details on what the course is

12.00

50 double unders

30 ground to overhead (135#)

50 double unders

-you're not allowed to drop the bar from the overhead position

15.00

4 minute tabata row for meters

Day 2:

9.00

4 minutes to establish 1 rep max deadlift (in kilos)

4 minutes to do AMRAP of air squats

-these go directly together, no gap

-the total kilos will be added to the total squats for the score

12.00

final event, unknown

-only the top 3 men and women qualify

The point system is based on placement (best time receives 1 point, 2nd receives 2 points, etc.) So, the 3 lowest point totals after 4 events will compete in the final. All previous points will then be erased so that the winner will take all.

Should be a fun event. If I'm honest, I feel pretty good about all the scheduled events except the deadlift/air squat WOD. I know my top deadlift will be well below the average, but we'll see.

I don't know what the internet situation will be at the hotel, so this could be my last post until Sunday night. Here's a look at where I'll be.

From Desktop

Rest Day

I have been getting progressively more sore as the day has crept on. Last night's workout, the more I think about it, was very different from my usual WODs, perhaps revealing a hole in my programming. Looking back, I've subconsciously categorized squatting with weight as purely a strength exercise, meaning I never do it except on heavy days. Since I've been in the Netherlands, I think I've only included weighted squatting one time in a metabolic conditioning workout, and that was with 100 lb overhead squats during the Lullaby workout. Furthermore, I rarely combine similar movements into the same WOD, instead opting more for oppositional movements. Today, my legs are feeling this neglect.

Going forward I think I will try to include more "similar movement" groupings (squat complexes, clean complexes, snatch complexes, Bear complexes, etc.). In addition, I'm going to try and put variations of complex style workouts into metcon formats to help fill the hole exposed last night. Thinking this over, I came up with a few possibilities that could be great:

-21, 15, 9 back squat, thruster, push jerk, and pushup w/ 135 lb

-10 to 1 SDLHP, power snatch, oh squat w/ 115 lb

-15 minute AMRAP: 5 power clean, 10 deadlift, 5 pullup w/ bodyweight

-10 rounds for time of 5 DB split clean & jerk (ea), 5 DB walking lunge (ea), 10 burpee w/ 1/2 BW

-without rest, repeat alternating 1 minute rounds of BW bench press, ring dips, and reverse burpees until you reach 100 total repetitions

It's cool how one workout can start flooding the brain with new possibilities. I almost wish I didn't have the competition this weekend, because I'd like to try a few of these this week. Oh well... there's always next week.

Spent a large portion of the rest day outside reading and enjoying the fall colors. Then, went to a neighborhood cafe with my neighbor, only to discover they have .75 coffee, free chess boards, and live soundgarden, pearl jam, and jimi hendrix albums playing on loop. We spent 2 hours in there, easily. The first 2 of many I suspect.

From Week 3

Squat it Out

Was definitely feeling the legs this morning after the long metcon and the heavy clean and jerks yesterday. Nothing compared to what they would be feeling later that night, however. I've been half dreading, half anticipating this workout since I came up with it a few weeks ago, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It wound up leaving me completely jello'd.

The Workout looked like this...

With your bodyweight on the bar, do 5 rounds for time:

3 OH squat

6 Front squat

9 Back squat

12 situp

The weight felt fine the first set, heavy the second set, and pretty crushing the rest of the way. The main point of fatigue was my lower back. Moving the weight to the different balance positions was challenging to stabilize internally, and the legs were not having it by the end. Especially on the front squats (possibly residual from last night's cleans), everything was just burning. The situps were a good break, but felt so short-lived every time.

Anyways, I got through it in 11 minutes on the nose, and I don't think I could have done it faster. I didn't take more than a few seconds break between exercises at any point, and my body was aching pretty good. Walking out of L.K.V., I could feel my legs losing it a bit, so I took the walk home slow. In the end, I'm glad to have done it. I just need to get stronger. We'll see what happens this weekend....

AM...PM

So I only wound up doing 2 workouts today, but they were good ones.

In the morning...

For time:

1000 m row

800 m run

10 rds of Cindy (5 pullup, 10 pushup, 15 squat)

800 m run

100 double unders

I finished the row in 3:24, not pushing too hard. But my legs were definitely still a little heavy getting out on the run. I think it took a few hundred meters for the cardio vascular effects of the row to kick in, because by the time I hit the pullups, pushups, and squats I was completely out of breath. That continued for all 10 rounds, though I was able to complete them without breaking any sets. The 2nd 800 meters was awful. Could not catch my breath at all. This probably took at least :30 longer than the first just because I couldn't get any air. When I got to the double unders, I had recovered a bit and was able to finish all 100 in 3 sets, stopping the clock at 21:19. This was a tough combination WOD. If I ever do it again, the goal will be 20:00, though I'm not sure where I'll be able to cut 80 seconds.

In the evening...

Establish a 1 rep max clean and jerk.

Hank was back training, so I got some good feedback on what I was doing well/not so well. I finished at 120 kg, 5 kg under my previous best. But, considering the morning WOD, I wasn't too disappointed with this outcome. If the Scandinavian Challenge has an olympic component, I'll feel confident I can get more weight.

To be honest, I'm slightly dreading the workout I've planned for tomorrow. Not really sure how it will turn out, but since it's the last one for the week I've got nothing to save up for.

From Berlin 2009

Scandinavian Challenge

I just found out that a Scandinavian Crossfit Challenge is being hosted in Halmstad, Sweden this weekend. It sounds like a cool event, set up very similarly to the qualifiers for the Crossfit Games. The guys I met in Berlin have signed up already, so I decided to join them. This will be a fun way to explore the northern rim, while meeting more like-minded people. Not to mention the challenge of whatever workouts they decide to pull out of the hopper. It looks like a two-day affair, with multiple workouts each day, so I'll adjust the workout plan for this week accordingly. I'm thinking 3 WODs tomorrow, 1 on Tuesday, then rest the remainder of the week.

I'm looking forward to the competitive atmosphere.

http://www.eleikosport.se/education/Course.asp?PageNumber=3&CourseCategory_Id=14&Course_Id=64

Saturday 10/24

Run 10K.

My neighbor was participating in this transcontinental Nike 10K event, so I decided to join. Along with a few others, we ran to this beautiful huge park that's on the outskirts of Leiden that I never knew existed. I kept the pace up the whole time, probably around 7 minute miles, but didn't have a watch to time the total. I also managed to get myself lost on the trails, so I probably ran a bit further than 10K. Anyways, it felt great to get out and just run. I felt like I was back on the Rock Creek Park trails in D.C., just with cows instead of bums.

From Prague

5 x 5's

I felt good today, considering the heavy workload last night. The workout today was 3 parts:

Weighted chins: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Bench press: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

20 minute Erg ladder for calories

The chinups were fine. I was able to get 5 sets solidly with 25 kg on the chain. The pressing was a good as well, I worked up to 125 kg for the last set. The Erg workout was great. Letting the clock run, I increased a single calorie of workload every set, on the minute, until I reached 20 minutes. (in the 12th minute I rowed 12 calories, in the 19th I rowed 19 calories, etc.) The cool part about this is that the machine pauses every time you stop, so that by the end you know exactly how much time you spent actually rowing, thus facilitating a way to determine what your average speed was. This is a good way to compare against someone else, ergo if you both make it to 20 minutes without missing a set, the person with the lower total work time would win. My total work time was 11:20.

From Prague

Establish a Max

Tonight's workout broke down some of the different component parts of the snatch in an effort to develop strength during different stages of the movement, and then build towards a new 1RM of the total movement. It was inspired by some advice I received from Mike Burgener a few months ago, but proved to be a little more than I was ready for. The program was:

Establish a 1 rep max for each of the following:

Muscle Snatch

Push Press to Overhead Squat

Snatch Balance

Snatch

On the muscle snatches I got up to 60 kg. This is a weird movement that I haven't done much of. In general, I think I prefer power snatches from the hang to work on the top end of the pull.

The push press to Overhead Squat went well. I topped out at 110 kg, which was new OH squat PR for me. I think I couldve gone higher, as well. I screwed up on the pressing portion of the 115 kg attempt, so I never got the chance to squat it.

The Snatch Balance's were considerably less successful. By this point my shoulders were pretty weary, and I just couldn't get comfortable with the movement. The top weight I got was 95 kg. Apparently, you should be able to do 20% over your 1 rep full snatch max. Work to be done, I guess.

The snatches were a joke. I was pretty exhausted by this point, and only managed to get 90 kg. Instead, I spent some time working the technique during the first pull, where I've noticed some forward lean and pre-lift misalignment.

Overall, so-so day... looking forward to tomorrow. Here's a video of the OH squat.

What I learned in Berlin, Prague, and Ansbach

My impressions from the 5 days I spent in Germany and Czech Republic are immeasurably positive.

From a personal standpoint, I could not have been better cared for, reaffirming my faith in the qualities of hospitality and generosity so often maimed and left for dead by popular culture.

Further, I was exposed to a range of histories and cultures (German and Czech, urban and rural) about which I previously knew very little. If I had only ridden the train to Prague and back, never getting off, I would have experienced growth.

But from a broader, more global, fitness perspective, I think this trip taught me even more.

First, the motivating forces that propel people to train and keep them coming back are not cultural, they are natural. Cultural forces simply meter the availability of the outlets needed to discover one's natural physical drive. I heard the same success stories and saw the same pride in accomplishment this weekend that I heard and saw during 3 years of personal training in D.C. Miraculous cures for knee pain, decreased lower back stiffness, increased shoulder mobility, strength on the job, increased vitality... these were the things that had made people believers.

I saw the same effort and felt the same enthusiasm here that I saw and felt when I trained at Crossfit affiliates in Fairfax, Virginia or in East Sacramento, California. People were working to exhaustion, breaking through barriers, and building confidence in their ability to achieve. If nothing else, this weekend convinced me that these qualities/motivations are in everyone, regardless of the thick layers of social propriety, cultural taboo, and relative ignorance under which they may be hiding.

Second, Crossfit is growing from the bottom-up. There is no concerted, connected effort through which these various affiliates are being organized. They are pockets with loose, peripheral knowledge of one another, at best. It is through the effort and inspiration of a few individuals that the groups I visited this weekend have come into existence. Yet, they follow similar paths. In what turned out to be a divine stroke of luck, the order in which I visited the three locations (Berlin, Prague, Ansbach) mirrored the relative stages of development each are currently in.

The Berlin group organizes itself through email and facebook contact, with no regular location from which to train. They have Level I certifications but are not official affiliates. They train in parks, schools, and firehouses; in good weather and bad. Their number is modest, but dedicated, and it is held together by the commitment of the trainers, the merits of the program, and the community that is starting to take hold. It doesn't get more grassroots.

The Prague affiliate is a similar product, just slightly more advanced. Zdenek Weig and his wife Keri used Crossfit when they were living in the state of Washington, and didn't want to stop when they moved back to the Czech Republic earlier this year. Soon, they had a group to train with outdoors and around town, but with winter coming they needed a place to call home. After much trial and error, they were able to land a space (which I've previously described) and opened just last week. Zdenek told me his goal was to have 5 full-time memberships by the end of the first month. He had 10 in the first 5 days. His and Keri's dedication, plus the quality of the product, have proven, thus far, to be the foundation for something more than either expected.

Crossfit Ansbach more closely represents what we see in the States. It began when Robert Powell and his training partners Ralph, Simon, and Rolph got "asked" to leave the local globo-gym for making too much noise. Rob is an ex-marathoner, an ex-cyclist, and an ex-body builder. He told me he came across the program in his search for a workout more complete and more fulfilling. In his words, "there had always been something missing, no matter what program it was." When he and the group got bounced from the gym for doing Crossfit WODs, their only goal was to find someplace they could train their way. The purpose for starting the affiliate was simply to offset the cost of the lease and the equipment they would need to escape the silent whir of treadmills and elypticals. Quickly things mushroomed, and, now in their second location, Crossfit Ansbach is over 30 members strong and rising. The community there is so strong that they couldn't stop, even if they wanted to. The classes show up 20 minutes early just to cheer on the group before them...

The third and final thing I'm taking with me from this trip stems from this last observation: Shared physical burdens build community. This is no epiphany, but it warrants attention, nonetheless. Any athletic team I was ever on grew closer after a tough practice, or a hard fought game. There's something about being totally physically committed, and recognizing the same commitment in another, that breeds mutual respect. This is the case in group dynamic fitness as well. My old gym, Balance Gym in Washington, D.C., was more like a family than a business. Members that went through the bootcamps together during the week organized rafting trips, cookouts, and birthday parties together on the weekend. When one member was competing or performing somewhere, everyone was interested, watching, and involved.

The same elements are present and building here. A short example: During the morning session in Ansbach, two “friends of the program” wandered in to check out what was going on, having seen Rob’s car out front. These guys are local painters, and semi-regular members at the affiliate. They did a few workouts early on, after which they chose to contribute their time and effort to helping put the place together for nothing in return. They enjoyed training and wanted to help. The morning I saw them they were messing around on the rings, one doing muscle ups, the other trying, failing, and laughing. They hung around for about an hour and even encouraged Rob, Stefan, and I while we did the Workout of the Day. Their presence was a reminder of how communities can galvanize around just about anything, fitness being no exception.

None of this is meant to say that building such a community is easy, regardless of the location. There are certainly challenges. Resources are scarce (try finding a Dynamax ball or a <$1000 barbell in continental Europe), social structures are resistant to change, and times are tough financially. But, thus far, these are challenges that are being met and overcome, even in the most adverse situations, because the product is valuable and necessary.

Each of the places I visited this trip had a personality. They each had their own distinct interpretation of what it meant to be fit and of what they wanted to offer those involved, while still being under the Crossfit umbrella. This is, without doubt, the strength of the program in my eyes. The principles are strong enough to give guidance, yet broad enough to leave room for creativity. I think this is one reason why there is a promising future for affiliates like Berlin, Prague, Ansbach, and others in Europe. As long as there is a method substantive and flexible enough to challenge the existing "A-physical" culture, there will be individuals and communities willing to embrace it.

From Berlin 2009

From Prague

From Crossfit Ansbach

Back to Leiden

Before hopping on the 1:00 train back to Holland, I went back to the box with Rob to watch him train another class. It was early, and I was SORE. My body has definitely taken a beating these past few days, and I’m sure all of the train travel hasn’t helped. However, not to be denied, Rob convinced me to join him and his buddy Stefan in one last workout before my trip home. Thankfully, for me, there wasn’t much legs involved. There was, however, more muscle ups. Though I typically would not do an exercise on back to back days, I felt compelled to bend to my host’s wishes and not bitch out.

The Workout:

Part 1 - Establish a 1 repetition max Turkish Getup with your weak arm.

This was fun. We started warming up for control, palming various medicine balls and light kettlebells. I worked up to 24 kg without using the handle. Stefan was able to do the same. Rob, Stefan, and I were all able to perform a repetition with the 32 kg kettlebell as well, the heaviest they currently have at Ansbach. They do, however, have a plate loaded dumbbell. So, I continued up to 42 and, finally, 47 kg before stopping. With my left arm, this was definitely a PR. 47 kg (103.4 lb) is much heavier than I’ve ever been able to do.

Part 2 – 5 rounds for time:

20 double under

10 handstand pushup

5 muscle up

Again, the handstand pushups were the weakness. I felt better than when I did them on Sunday, but still with plenty of room to improve. The last round I had to break the 10 repetitions into 4 sets. I still managed to finish in a decent time, 11:33, but sub 10:00 is definitely the goal here. Stefan finished in 15:28, Rob in 17:28. This gap is due mostly to the double unders, a skill they’ve just started to work on.

After grabbing some lunch with Rob, I was back on the train and heading home. Again, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality and friendliness of the people I stayed with. Rob and Susie were incredible hosts, going above and beyond anything I could have expected. As with Alex in Berlin, and Zdenek & Keri in Prague, I left feeling extremely lucky to have met them.

Here are my pictures from the weekend.

Berlin 2009

Prague

Crossfit Ansbach

Monday 10/19

AM….PM

In the AM… This morning Zdenek took me to the newly opened location of Crossfit Prague. It’s located on the bottom floor of a great building, and the space looks like it used to be a cafeteria of some kind. He has the entire floor at his disposal, though only the main room is finished as of yet. It’s got everything you’d need and expect from a top notch box: bars, bumpers, bands, kettlebells, pullup racks, rings, you name it. They’ve only been officially open for 1 week but they’ve already got 10 members that have bought monthly packages.

More than anything, the place just feels cool. There’s a ton of light, high ceilings, and a definite stillness about the place and the area that make it ideal for training.

As we were in a bit of a rush to get me on the train, we came up with a workout that would only take 11 minutes to complete. Naturally, these were 11 pretty intense minutes…

The Workout

3 rounds of 3 minute AMRAP w/ 1 minute rest

5 Sumo Deadlift High Pull

5 Thruster

1 Muscle Up

I used 60 kg, Zdenek used 50 kg. This gassed us both pretty badly… SDLHP and thrusters are a great combination if you want to test your metabolic conditioning. I was sucking for air by the 4^th round, and by the end my arms were having trouble keeping the bar racked during the thrusters.

In all, I was able to complete 9 full rounds, plus 5 SDLHP and 2 thrusters.

Zdenek finished 8 full rounds, plus 5 SDLHP and 5 thrusters.

After this I felt like a nap.

But, next thing I knew I was in and out of a cold shower and on the train toward Germany. This was a wonderful experience in Prague, mostly due to Zdenek and his wife Keri’s amazing hospitality. During the course of 2 days and nights I walked practically the entire city, seeing it from above and below, and raising more than a few half liter beers in a toast to the town with one of it’s own. We explored the inside of Prague Castle, including the historic church where countless Czech kings are buried to this day. We strolled the old hunting grounds where the medieval princes and knights spent their summers tracking game. We watched professional Czech League soccer, drinking grog (hot water and rum) to stay warm whilst the die hards to our left burnt opposition paraphanalia in ephegy. Then, in a true send off, I got a kick ass workout at what will soon be Prague’s premier elite fitness location. Seriously… what a weekend.

In the PM… I got off the train in Ansbach, a German small town of 40,000 or so, at around 4:00 and was immediately met by Robert Powell, head trainer and co-owner of Crossfit Ansbach. After a brief stop at his home, where I met his lovely wife Susie, we headed over to the facility for his evening round of classes. At the moment, they run three 1-hour classes nightly: 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30. Although they’ve only been open to the public for 3 months, they’ve already just about outgrown their space. The first class had 9 participants, the second 14, and the third 5. The space they have is built to accommodate 10 at the most, so it took some creative programming by Rob, Ralph, Simon, and Rolph to make it work on this night.

The overwhelming impression I got from watching these sessions was the palpable excitement level of everyone involved. Of course it starts with the coaches- extremely positive, motivating, and intelligent guys, all of them; but the clientele were equally as impressive. Representing an age range from 14 to 80, these people were getting AFTER IT. Having been denied access and opportunity to functional physical exercise, they literally could not get enough Crossfit. Box jumps, handstands, kb swings, knees to elbows… you name it. All of them embraced the challenge of whatever movements they were asked to perform. Granted, with that zeal came some over-eagerness (poor technique, too much clock watching), but no more than what we see routinely in the States. It’s obvious that they have something here, and it’s only going to get better.

After the people had gone, Rob put me through a workout he had pulled from the site of Crossfit Jacksonville. It was as follows:

10 deadlift (60 kg)

20 wall ball

10 hang power clean (60 kg)

20 kb swing (24 kg)

10 front squat (60 kg)

20 box jump (24 “)

10 push jerk (60 kg)

20 pullups

10 back squat (60 kg)

20 burpees

With the exception of a some questionable pullups (definitely didn’t get my chin above the bar on a few early on), this went REALLY well. I never felt like I was all out gasping for air or completely fatigued. My hands ripped during the pullups and my quads were a bit tired from the morning thrusters, but, all in all, the body held up well. I only had to break the sets during the pullups, and ended up stopping the clock at 5:28.

It was a long day, but I will sleep well.

Hills in Prague

Yesterday's train situation didn't allow for any workouts, sadly. However, Zdenek (the man whose family I am staying with) did take me on some incredible sightseeing last night. We explored the Prague Castle grounds, including an amazing chapel where a choir was giving a tribute to Frederick Chopin. All kinds of VIPs and high security limited the extent to which we could walk around, but that kind of made it cooler. We walked through the maze of streets that lead down from the upper castle to the Charles Bridge, across the river, and into the heart of Prague. There we stopped in a few pubs for beers, but mostly walked from incredible sight to incredible sight. I attached some photos to the end of this post.

Today, I started the day by walking with Zdenek and his son up Hvezda Park. It used to be a hunting grounds for the knights and kings of the area, but now it is a nature preserve where runners, dog walkers, and hikers can go to get away from the city. The trees and colors reminded me of fall in Princeton.

Zdenek's house is not far from the park, sitting essentially on the middle portion of the hill that leads up to the top. So, while he was helping his kids with some homework, I used the hill for a workout. Walking it out, I determined that the street just next to his house is 160 meters, with a cross street at the 80 meter mark that provides a short flat reprieve. Otherwise, it's about a 15 degree slope the whole way.

The workout looked like this...

5 rounds of:

80 meter hill walking lunge

80 meter hill sprint

10 handstand pushup

Trying to sprint the second half of the hill after lunging the first was pretty laughable, but I managed to make it all 5 rounds without taking my foot off the gas. The handstand pushups got really tough by the 3rd round, first due to my being really out of breath, and second to fatigue. Overall I was really happy with this workout. A little less exciting then the Berlin Fire Department challenge, but still very effective.

Oct 18, 2009

Berlin Fire Department WOD

So, Friday's workout was based on the firefighter challenges that are held around the world. The entirety of it is done wearing full gear (boots, suit, oxygen tank, gas mask, helmet, etc). This challenge includes a 4 story climb carrying a 20 kg hose, a 4 story vertical 20 kg pull, 4 story downstairs sprint, a 1.5 meter, 80 kg horizontal sledge pound (using the Kaiser Force machine), a 25 meter hose drag, a zigzag cone run, and a 25 meter rescue drag to the finish line. (I’m approximating the distances from what I could gather from our workout and the videos I checked on youtube.) Alex and the rest of the organizers of the group have been helping the firefighters at the East Berlin station train for this competition, and for the rigors of the job, in general. Today, Mike and the crew were to return the favor and show the group what it was like to undertake some of these challenges, plus/minus a few stairs, meters, and cones.

After a very creative dynamic warmup including heavy bag hand-offs and medball passes, and some technical work with air squats and deadlifts, we headed downstairs to begin.

The Workout:

Part 1- for time (all with 20 kg PA gear)

7 floors up w/ hose (20 kg)

4 floor vertical weighted rope pull (20 kg)

7 floors down

Part 2- for time (all with 20 kg PA gear)

1.5 meter sledge pound on Kaiser Force machine (80kg)

50 meter hose drag (2 hoses plus steel frame)

25 meter rescue Randy drag

Part 1 was hardest during the climb. As one can imagine, sprinting up stairs with 35 extra kilograms of weight will tire your legs out pretty quick. So, by the last flight things were slowing down considerably. The vertical pull was a strength movement, but with a ton of technique. This was obvious when you watch the way I pulled the weight and the way Mike pulled the weight. He was way more efficient and used much more back and hips. This was an awesome exercise that I would love to keep doing, I just can’t figure out where it would work. (Maybe the new pool deck at the Thomas Circle Balance will see some version of this?) Surprisingly, the run back downstairs was difficult as well. According to the rules of the competition you have to touch every stair on the way down, meaning a whole lot of extra steps that require coordination and patience when your body is lacking both.

It took the majority of the group somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00 to finish this series. I did it in 2:00. Mike did it in 1:45.

Part 2 took us outside to one of the storage areas, of which there were many. Inside there were old medballs from the Iron Curtain, kettlebells, hoses, and all kinds of cool stuff for these guys to use. Also in there was the Kaiser Force machine. This is what firemen use to simulate the power needed to chop through walls, doors, etc with their axes. There is definitely a measure of technique involved (a blend between keeping the weight behind your heels and keeping the swings short and fast), but mostly its raw power. I loved this! You’re basically pounding away at this piece of metal as hard as you can until it moves 1.5 meters. As soon as you finish that, we ran outside and dragged 2 hoses connected to a steel box for 50 meters. Legs are now dying. This reminded me of pulling the VW beetle back in Washington, with obviously less resistance. Then, we sprinted back and grabbed Rescue Randy (really heavy dummy simulating a person in need of rescue) and dragged him 25 meters to safety. Legs were like JELLO.

On this series the group averaged somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00. I finished in 1:10, and, again, Mike the fireman smoked me at 1:02.

Doing part 1 and part 2 back to back would’ve been a huge challenge. Then add full fire gear and a mask? Lights out. Major respect to the firemen competing in these challenges.

Berlin

Just a quick update before I get on the train from Berlin to Prague. Amazing experience last night with the guys here. Their group is completely fluid, meaning they aren't yet tied to any single location. Often their WODs are done in parks or local school gymnasiums, but last night we trained at an East Berlin firehouse. More like a fire complex. This place was enormous with more potential for crazy-creative fitness than anywhere I have ever been. When I have more time, I intend to write a more thorough explanation of what we did, who I met, and what their collective experiences may mean for the growth of fitness, and crossfit, in Europe. I will also include video footage and plenty of pictures. For now, let me just say that I could not have been more impressed with the hospitality of the head trainers (out til 2am sightseeing\eating\drinking), the willingness to work of the group (we were at the fire station for nearly 3 hours doing various training!), and the potential for a real community impact they offer as a whole. After sitting on a train all day yesterday, it was a great feeling to be physically challenged again. My week off is officially over, and I am really excited to see what else the rest of this trip has in store for me.

Fresh out of the Microwave Oven

This post stems from a conversation I had with one of my Dutch classmates the other day. He was arguing that America, through its various entertainment, athletic, and consumer exports, is a cultural empire that is gradually spreading to all corners of the globe.

So, I thought about it, and, I have to admit, since I've been in Europe, it's been impossible not to notice the growing cultural impact of the American way, even here in Leiden. I saw kids in the streets wearing I heart NY t-shirts. Renting a movie the other day, I found myself deciding between The Watchmen and Valkyrie, both only available in English with Dutch subtitles. Buying school supplies at the local store, I heard Green Day, then Britney Spears playing on the shop speakers above me. Right across from the 16th century Calvinist Church just off the Rhine River are a McDonalds and a Subway.

Our global impact, needless to say, is impressive.

Thankfully, one part of our culture that has not completely taken over is the perpetual rush everyone seems required to be in. Because so much of our system is dependent on consumerism, individual growth, and production efficiency, the American way is hell-bent on making things easier, faster, more available, and more profitable. By extension, this means we, the cogs in the wheel, must make our lives simpler, more accessible and more productive.

If we examine specific cases, these developments are largely positive, healthy evolutions that contribute to more streamlined, efficient uses of our time. Think e-bay, direct deposit, call forwarding, Starbuck's Coffee. But, if we step back from between the trees, we might just see that the edges of the forest are starting to burn.

Ingrained in this philosophy is the idea that time is the enemy. How many times do you hear the phrase "there just aren't enough hours in the day." Hell, I don't know many people back home who think there are enough days in the year, or years in their life to get done what they "need to get done." Ironically, this belief tends to drive us to do things in a more rushed, less fulfilling way, thus exascerbating the problem. Enter stress, anxiety, and poor health.

The perfect symbol of this, in my opinion, is the microwave oven. This common kitchen appliance, widely heralded as the greatest invention since sliced bread, is in 90% of American homes, and represents the ultimate in convenience and efficiency. Nevermind that it's led to a multi-billion dollar industry whose sole purpose is the production of essentially fake food.

Birds Eye Foods files $350 million IPO - MarketWatch

Nevermind that it poses a myriad of risks, both to us and the real food we put inside of it.

The Hidden Hazards Of Microwave Cooking

For most of us, it's fast and simple, therefore it's good. This belief holds obvious dangers we can plainly see in the health, or lack thereof, of our population.

On the whole, the microwave is just a symptom of the greater illness, but an enlightening one: Some things (nutrition is certainly one of them) should not merely been packaged, time-shrunk, and "nuked."

In this instance, I feel, I have already benefited from my still young European adventure. A few observations... In Sicily, everyone takes three hour lunch breaks. On weekends, Leiden shops don't open until noon. French students are expected to take time off from their degrees to travel. All Dutch citizens go on one month of holiday every year.

Admittedly, I laugh at some of this stuff, and I'm not saying adopting this lifestyle is the answer. In fact, I know it isn't. People here might be a bit too relaxed, even for my taste. However, it does serve as a catalyst for reflection. Stopping to take a breath every now and then isn't such a bad thing, and I think in most cases it's a relatively simple fix.

Using nutrition as a example, but also as a metaphor, I thought it would be interesting to hypothesize the tangible benefits of "unplugging the microwave."

1) Food quality would become more important, leading you to take greater care in choosing what you eat. As time becomes less of a consideration, you would be less likely to rush into a bad meal and more likely to choose ingredients that are of a higher caliber. Because of this change, 2) You'd know exactly what you were eating at all times. Gone would be the days of pre-packaged mystery meals that you think might be good for you, but you just don't have the time to find out if they actually are. Therefore, 3) You'd be getting more nutritional value out of every meal, and, thus 4) You'd have a greater appreciation for what you were eating. Knowing what's in your food and that it is of high quality will necessarily leave you feeling more satisfied after eating it. 5) Meals would become more communal. Slow down long enough to make this adjustment and there'll be more time to share this high quality food that you enjoy with family and friends.

Since I've been here, I haven't even seen a microwave. And, as far as I can tell, the only downside to all the cooking I've been forced to do, are the dirty dishes. Now if I could just get a dishwasher I'd be in business.

Food journal for today:

Meal 1: smoothie (1 banana, peanut butter, protein powder, whole milk)

Meal 2: scramble (1 potato, 1 tomato, 1 avocado, 1/2 onion, 1 bell pepper, 3 eggs, cheese)

Meal 3: Dutch hamburger, green tea

Meal 4: brown rice, chicken breast, tomato soup, broccoli

Meal 5: smoothie (1 banana, peanut butter, protein powder, whole milk)

Yoga

I borrowed an Ashtanga yoga dvd from my neighbor and followed it for about a half hour this morning. The dude on this dvd is RIDICULOUS. Once I got past the chanting and other yogi things that I can't quite jive with, I was left in awe of what this man could do physically. His name is John Scott: look him up.

I haven't done yoga since the first week i was here, so things were a little tight, to say the least. Flexibility is an area that I have neglected, as I look back. Especially when it comes to recovery, this is so important yet so easy to overlook. I think for this next 6 weeks I'm going to try to use one of my rest days each week to do yoga, and dedicate at least 15 minutes at the end of every session to certain static relaxation stretches.

I've also decided to use this week as an experimental food journal to track exactly what I'm eating, so I apologize if this is annoying.

Meal 1: smoothie (1 banana, scoop of peanut butter, protein powder, whole milk)

Meal 2: breakfast scramble (1 potato, 1 bell pepper, 1/2 onion, handful spinach, 4 eggs, pepper cheese)

Meal 3: My favorite sandwich shop (dark whole grain bread, sliced chicken, tomatos, cucumber, aged cheese, pesto, onion)

Meal 4: Greek yogurt and trail mix (sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, cranberries)

Meal 5: 20 g Salmon w/ skin, green lentils, raw broccoli

Meal 6: smoothie (1 banana, scoop of peanut butter, protein powder, water)

On the way out to grab a beer or two, so I have to include those as well. We'll see what I actually put down.

Hopefully I won't be eating many of these...

From Oct 9, 2009

Rest Day

Sore today. My entire posterior chain is tight from yesterday. Took it easy and spent the day with a friend of mine here and his family. Every Sunday he plays field hockey for the local club team. The game was very competitive and played at a high level. It was interesting to see how they organize their sports here. Clubs range all ages, with 2 year groupings for everyone 18 and under, then skill level teams above that (1st, 2nd, 3rd team, etc) that you get placed on due to your relative ability. This essentially takes the place of high school and college sports in the States, but the scale is much smaller. It works the same for soccer, but the lower clubs serve as feeder systems for the pro teams, sometimes signing kids by age 16. It was a nice Sunday, but I still miss football.

Beyond my initiation to Dutch sporting culture, today represented the first day of my rest week. What this means for me, is that I won't be doing any highly intensive training for the next 5-6 days. I will still do very light exercise to maintain circulation to the muscles/tendons/etc that need the rest and repair, just nothing extravagant. Typically, this means no more than 3 sets per movement, 50% weight or less. Beyond that, it will mostly be stretching, self-myofacial massage (if I can find a foam roll), and yoga. Just enough to keep things moving.

Nutritionally, I will try to eat cleaner than ever, and more than ever. As my body recovers, I want to give it all the help I can and if I overdo the calories a tad, that's okay so long as they're good calories. This is not the week to start slamming chocolate bars and milkshakes.

Finally, this should be a good time for me to evaluate what I've done for the past 6 weeks and see where improvement has been made, where it hasn't, and how best to push forward. Also, I expect to come up with plenty of new, creative workouts for the archives. That way, I won't have to come up with a whole week's worth of WODs every single Sunday.

Looking forward to going to Berlin, Prague, and Ansbach next weekend... should be a great time.

From Sicily

5 rep max

I slept really hard last night. Something about running in the sand just sucks the energy out of me more than other activities. By the time we were home and I was posting last night, I could barely keep my eyes open.

The benefit of this, however, was that I woke up feeling pretty incredible. The gym was empty, as usual. So funny the difference here. L.K.V. has enough space in its myriad rooms to comfortably support hundreds of members at once, but I don't think I've ever seen more than 20 people in the place. Thankfully, this is not my concern. In fact, unless someone there decides to do more than machine weights and cable curls, the emptier the better for me.

Today's workout was:

5 x 5 deadlift, working up to a 5 rep max

-after each set of 5 do 30 pushups, then rest as needed

I successfully got 175 kg (385 lb), then failed on the 4th rep of 180 kg the following set. I was happy with this, but not ecstatic. Getting to 400 for a 5 rep max would've been great, but for someone with a 440 lb max, I can't be too critical.

Overall, my deadlift strength is something I've slowly been improving as a secondary focus, so that is definitely a good thing. After finishing, I did 3 x 8 high bench rows at 70 kg (lying prone and pulling the bar into the bottom of the bench), continuing to do 30 pushups between sets. I finished with 3 x 10 back extensions and 3 x 10 second isometric knee to elbow holds.

This was the last real workout before my rest week. I'll elaborate more on what that entails tomorrow.

Oct 9, 2009

Day at the Beach

My neighbor and I took a mini excursion to Noordwijk today, seeing as how the weather was so inexplicably gorgeous here. 60 degrees and sun, if you can believe it. The beach was empty, making it even more beautiful, and even more appealing to use for my own fitness devices. I wanted to do an endurance effort today, and the long stretches of open sand provided plenty of potential. The workout looked like this:

20 x 50m run

50m bear crawl

20 x 50m run

50m handstand walk

20 x 50m run

50m duck walk

20 x 50m run

50m crab walk

20 x 50m run

50m broad jump

So I wound up running 5000m and doing 250m of various quadrapedal and bipedal movements. This was not easy, taking me 31:40 to finish. The sand got chewed up quick, making the running difficult and the handstand walks practically impossible. My heart and lungs were pumping hard the whole time, but my legs held out okay until the very end. The mental component was very challenging in this one. With so many turns and so much difficulty during the bodyweight exercises, it was a matter of just keeping the legs moving during the runs and not slowing down. I wish I would've had someone to compete with because I think I may have been able to break 30. The video turned out pretty cool as well. Props to Neelan for some stellar camera work.