AM...PM

Workout of the Day:

In the morning...

90 minutes pickup soccer

In the afternoon...

5 x max full ROM handstand pushups

Finish each set with 3 x 6-second eccentrics

A couple of the European guys in my building organized a game of soccer today, pitting Europe against the Americas. At its biggest, this game was 8 on 7, and we played on a field probably about 1/3 the size of an ordinary field. Therefore there were no sprints longer than 20 meters or so, which was just fine by me after the beating my legs have taken this week. It was fun to run around and try to make my feet do what they have not been trained to do since the 7th grade: control a soccer ball. The same principles that I mentioned earlier this week regarding coordination, agility, balance, and reaction in basketball certainly applied here as well. For the record, the Americas won. But not because of my meager contributions. I managed to net 3 goals, but there were a few guys on my side who really knew what they were doing and largely facilitated my opportunities. Bottom line, it was fun and it got me moving around.

This afternoon I went to the Cite gym strictly to work on full range of motion handstand pushups (see above). I set up two stacks of bumper plates so that, when at the bottom of the press, my shoulders touched the plates before my head touched the ground. In previous attempts at this depth I had only been able to get 3 repetitions, and it was an ugly 3. Today, I got 4 on my first set, 3 on my second, and 1 the rest of the way. Very happy with this result, I definitely seem to be getting stronger with everything overhead. The eccentric negatives were a critical piece as well. This is the best way to build strength in a movement, especially movements where you tend to stick at a certain point in the exercise. Fighting through that point during an eccentric negative will fire the moto-neurons you need to get that area stronger.

Next week is going to be shortened due to my program's self-organized road trip through southern France. Hopefully that means I'll get the chance to do a couple workouts on the road. Plenty of battlefields, castles, and countryside between Paris and Nice so there really aren't any excuses.

Below is a clip of me doing that first set, getting 4 then failing on 5. Didn't tape the eccentrics.

Lift my Bodyweight?

Workout of the Day:

10 minute AMRAP:

1 x BW Snatch

10 pullups

Rest 10 minutes

10 minute AMRAP:

1 x 2BW Back Squat

10 dips

Even after a full day of rest and a ton of sleep, I was sore as hell today. My quads were tender with every downhill step, and my chest was still tight from the pushups Tuesday night. It actually took quite a bit of prodding to convince myself that getting to the gym was a good idea. But it happened, and it was a good idea.

I warmed up with some light snatches, working on timing and extension, and felt pretty decent. I decided to put the weight at 85 kg, slightly over my bodyweight of 83 kg, because I didn’t want to deal with 1 ¼ kg plates. Turned out, it didn’t matter much. The weight felt light. I finished 9 full rounds, plus the 10^th snatch. I took my time between the pullups and snatches, making sure I was ready, prepared, and not going to miss. Thankfully I never did. And I never had to catch in a squat, impressing myself with the strength of my pulls and saving my legs for the heavy squatting ahead. I might have been able to get a few more rounds if I had been bolder with the snatches early on, but timidity got the better of me and I decided not to rush.

The 10 minutes of rest was really 10 minutes of squatting warm ups. I mostly did doubles and singles, trying to prepare my body for the shock of a 165 kg weight. When it came time to lift it, things felt heavy. I got the first rep up, but not without a fight. This had me worried coming back from the dips. I took my time, went through the same routine, and felt about the same on the second rep as on the first. This pattern repeated itself through 9 full rounds. I finished my 90^th dip just seconds before the clock rolled over to 10. I was ecstatic with this result. Being able to consistently get under the bar with less than a minute rest and lift twice my bodyweight with full depth felt incredible. Every repetition was a fight, but I got them done every time. And all that soreness is flushed out, naturally. Perhaps I’ll have some new pain to deal with tomorrow, but my program is pretty light either way.

Feeling strong. Bring on the weekend.

Rest Day

One of the videos posted here was featured on Mark's Daily Apple's recent article on staying fit in urban areas.

Be sure to check it out here:

Urban Workouts

Thanks Mark!

PS. Very sore today. Significantly down the front of both quadriceps, leading me to believe the squat jumps had a lot to do with it. Next time you're thinking about doing air squats, try these instead and feel the difference.

Go Play a Sport

Workout of the Day:

In the AM…

2 hours pickup basketball

In the PM…

15 minutes EDD’s

Consecutive Tabata rounds of:

DB walking lunge

BW Squat jumps

Butterfly situps

3 sets of hanging L-sits for time

Things were a bit stiff today, especially across my chest and shoulders. My core was not nearly as sore as it was last week after the longer distance, slower paced sandbag run, so I think constantly supporting the weight is the key to really taxing that area. Still, going for speed last night was a good variation on the exercise.

One of the girls in my apartment building picked up a basketball earlier this week and organized a game at the park across the street. We were between 6-8 people, depending at what point during the 2 hours you choose to look at, and we were mixed between girls and guys fairly evenly. This was not high level basketball, but it was fast-paced and of high enough quality to be very enjoyable. It reminded me of two things: I love warm weather, and I miss playing sports. It felt great to move without a plan, to react rather than pre-designate. Jumping, sprinting, and changing direction are key elements in developing agility, coordination, and balance, and they’re best utilized as fluid parts of games like basketball, tennis, or football. We played for 2 hours, almost without a break, and we certainly felt it afterwards. At least 4 that I know of (myself included) went home and crashed for 1-2 hour naps. Hopefully with the weather starting to turn I can get out and do this more often.

In the evening I was back at the Cite gym with Niels and Eva (new addition) to do some Tabata interval work. For the lunges, I used 32 kg dumbbells—heavy. I was able to tally 88 total steps during the 4 minutes, and was surprised to note that my forearms and traps were feeling things almost as much as my legs. Going to the squat jumps next was a little brutal, but things shook out by the second set. I tried to get full depth, the same as I would need for a clean or snatch, and clear at least 10 inches with each jump. I finished with 105 repetitions here, certainly the most challenging cardiovascularly. I did the situps with butterflied knees to try and disengage the hip flexors. This makes it much harder to string repetitions together, but much more effective at challenging the rectus abdominus. I got 78 repetitions, falling just short of 10 per round.

Afterwards, we attached ourselves to pullup bars and did max time hangs. I held an L-sit for as long as I could, then bent the knees for the remainder. The first set I kept the L for just over 30 seconds, the second set just under 30 seconds, and the third barely 20 seconds. Each set, however, I was able to keep myself on the bar for at least 60 seconds of total time. Not terribly impressive, but not bad either.

Resting tomorrow, and I need it. Really exhausted from these past few days. Going to a matinee to re-watch the Hurt Locker. Saw it back in DC last summer and loved it. Now that the whole world is on board, figured it’s time to check it out again and contribute to its growing popularity.

Partner WOD

Workout of the Day:

With a partner, do 20 minutes AMRAP:

200 meter sandbag run (35 kg)

25 pushups

While one partner is running, the other is doing pushups. Any gap between finishing pushups and starting the run is your rest.

After last night’s less than stellar performance and a long day spent in the classroom today, getting outside for a night session was just what the doctor ordered. Niels was back in town and rearing to go, so we grabbed the sandbag and headed to the back lawn of the Cite.

Conveniently, the back pad measured just slightly over 100 meters in distance. It was freezing outside, so keeping air in our lungs was tough the whole way through, but it definitely felt better to be working than standing around. I started with the run and was BOOKING it. Got down and back in :45; perhaps a little ambitious, but the bag felt light. The second set I went almost as fast, but was nearing collapse by the 200^th meter. Pretty funny how quickly you gas yourself when up around 100% effort. The remaining 17:00 were a full body fight the whole way. My shoulders and arms were dead tired from supporting the weight and doing the pushups in between, and my stomach was really fatigued from the weighted running. This last part never ceases to amaze me in its effectiveness.

When the clock rolled the last digit over, I had just dropped the bag after my 10^th run. I had done 9 sets of pushups, bringing my totals to 2000 meters and 225 pushups. Niels (doing sets of 15 rather than 25) finished 1800 meters and 150 pushups. Between us, that’s 3800 meters with 35 kg and 375 pushups in 20 minutes. Not bad.

I felt the difference in motivation having Niels here today. Sometimes, its nice not to have to come up with the motivation all on your own. I’m feeling redeemed after yesterday, looking forward to tomorrow.

Pullups Across the Pond

Workout of the Day:

This workout is a modified version of a workout I got from my friends at Evolve Your Fitness

1000 meter row, max pullups

rest 2 minutes

750 meter row, max pullups

rest 1:30

500 meter row, max pullups

rest 1:00

250 meter row, max pullups

You may not rest between rowing and pullups, and you must rest exactly the interval prescribed between rounds. Each pullup is worth -2 seconds from your total row time.

Graham, Frank, and Eric (pictured above) did this WOD last Monday for their half of the challenge, and scored 7:48, 7:49, and 8:12, respectively (24, 34, and 21 raw pullup totals).

This workout is cool because it offers a strategic challenge as well as a physical one. Going balls out would obviously leave no strength for the pullups, but laying back too much would kill the overall rowing time. Because each pullup is worth 2 seconds, having the strength to do them immediately after the row seems worth sacrificing a few seconds on the ERG. The problem with this is that its hard to know the right blend of effort and conservation.

I did my first 1000 meters in 3:31, holding a 1:45 split for the duration. Honestly, this was too slow. I got off the ERG barely out of breath. The pullups still proved challenging though, but more because I’m a mental midget than because my body gave out. I was only able to get 21 before dropping, and, I’d love to blame this on the slick, chrome plated bar at the Cite gym, but that would give undue credit to my resolve. I’ll come back to this later.

Because the distances were decreasing, I had planned to drop my split a little each round, especially after the first round felt so easy. A hundred meters into the 750 meter round, I realized this was not going to happen. Feeling the impending creep of lactic acid overload, I backed my pace off to around 1:47, finishing the distance in 2:43. Jumping up on the pullup bar this time actually felt more secure than the first round, but I still only managed 20 pullups. It was like I was dropping from the bar out of habit, rather than out of sheer exhaustion, as I should have been.

Walking back to the rower between sets 2 and 3, I was definitely out of breath. But by the end of the 1:30 rest period, that had subsided and I felt ready to go. This side of things I really cannot complain about—my recovery was excellent. Here I had a bit of a mental lapse. I started rowing around a 1:50, and it took me until the 300 meter mark to realize that I shouldn’t be conserving so much. I started pulling like hell and finished the leg in 1:46. That burst cost me on the pullups, as I only tallied 14.

With only 1 minute break before the last set, I barely had time to reset the rower for the new distance before it was time to start moving. Here I didn’t hold much back—most of the distance was spent in the 1:30’s. The final time was 50 seconds even and my pullups were a pathetic 13. In total, this put my time elapsed at 8:50 with 68 total repetitions. At 2 seconds per pullup, that means 2:16 of total subtraction, putting my final time/score at 6:34.

I am not happy with this. More directly, I attacked this workout like a soft, no heart, wet-noodled weakling. I didn’t give enough on rows 1 or 3, and, with the exception of the 3^rd set, I left repetitions on the bar with the pullups. The only thing I can think of to explain this is that I rarely do them for maximum repetitions and I didn’t know how to approach it mentally. If that is the case, it’s an easy fix.

Big thanks to Frank from Steelfit for organizing this inaugural WOD. Looking forward to the next one.

Principles of Variation

The past seven days has to rank as one of my best training weeks in a long while, despite unexpected gym closures on Monday and Wednesday night. At first, this conclusion was more of a gut feeling, like “I really feel like I hit on all cylinders this week.” Then, as I looked back, I realized my week had inadvertently adhered to a few essential programming principles of variation better than in weeks past, giving it a more productive and enjoyable feel. Discovering this fact made me think it was time to revisit those principles in the hopes of building some programming momentum as I head towards the European Regionals in May. This list isn't revolutionary (in fact I think I wrote a post about most of it last fall), but I need to reinforce them for myself, so you are subjected to it as well. Sorry. Hopefully you all can think of some things that I didn't and improve upon these basics.

Principle 1: Vary movement patterns and joints.

Every functional movement involves the shoulder, hip, or a combination of the two. (I sincerely hope nobody is still doing single joint exercises, apart from rehab. If you are, check yourself). Even when different muscle groups are doing the lion’s share of the labor, one of these two joints is inevitably activated in some capacity (think dips and pullups--different muscles, same joint chain). It is therefore essential to be cogniscent of over-working one type of motion or one set of joints. For example, cleans, snatches, and deadlifts all require approximately the same type of hip extension in moving the weight from the ground to each of their respective finishing positions (full depth Olympics also involve a squatting component, so think of that example as well). For the majority of people, doing these exercises on three consecutive days is completely unnecessary and will lead to over-training these movement patterns. The same can be said for doing thrusters, back squats, and pistols on consecutive days. Don't do it.

Even more problematic is over-using your shoulders. Pullups, handstands, OH squats, push jerks, bench press; these all heavily engage and tax the shoulder joint. Sometimes it’s hard to think outside the “push/pull” box that bodybuilders tend to live in, but the fact is, regardless if you’re pulling the weight towards you or pushing it away, your shoulder joint is where the torque is. Programming days that don’t require it to do either will pay off big time in recovery time and injury prevention. Example: The two weeks before I tweaked my shoulder, every day involved some form of active engagement of the shoulder joint. I laid off it a few days, then Monday I did a sandbag run that only required my shoulders to secure the weight rather than press or pull it. Tuesday I tied a PR on Clean and Jerk and Thursday I PR’d my strict press by 5 kg. Definitely a coincidence…

Principle 2: Vary energy pathways.

If you want to be good at everything, you have to do everything. Monday’s sandbag run tested stamina and core stability; Tuesday’s C&J’s required strength and power; Wednesday’s climbing focused on upper body strength and body control; Friday was strength (strict press singles) and work capacity (two metcons: a heavy couplet early and a light triplet late); Saturday was a 30 minute AMRAP testing guts and long range endurance. This type of balance is a big reason why I felt so good about my week. I tested myself in just about every way. Important note: don't test all of these every day. I read a lot of programs that try to do heavy strength followed by a metcon in every session. News flash: this is not varied. It also means you will not spend enough time on the heavy stuff and that your body will never be fresh for the metcon. I'm not saying you shouldn't do heavy strength sets and metcons in the same day. You should. But taxing every energy pathway every day is a burnout waiting to happen, and you won't tap your potential in any discipline. Sometimes less is more.

Principle 3: Vary intensities.

Some people may balk at this, so let me explain. Every session should be met with the same level of concentration, focus, and determination. But every session should not see you on the floor in a puddle of your own sweat and vomit. Many mistake a post-workout MASH unit of bodies scattered across the gym as proof of the WOD’s intensity. Undeniably, those workouts are intense, and you have to do them. But so are technical snatches, max height box jumps, and handstand holds, and you have to do those too. If you push your body to the brink of collapse every day you train, you will eventually get what you ask for. I wrote a post about Wednesday’s climbing excursion, describing it as such a nice deviation from the norm. This is precisely because it required a different kind of intensity than a 2K row, a 21, 15, 9, or a max effort back squat. I was just as focused and determined to overcome the challenge, but I walked away with gas in the tank. I am completely convinced that I had the mental and physical energy to tackle Friday’s enormous workload in large part because of Wednesday’s more technical focus.

Principle 4: Vary environments (see picture).

These means location and instruments. Getting out is something I am forced to do because of my circumstances, but it’s something everyone should do at least once during a given training week to disassociate “fitness” from any particular locale or any particular instrument. Getting outside your gym stimulates creativity, forces interaction with nature, and is genuinely rejuvenating. Using bags, hammers, blocks, or ropes instead of barbells and kettlebells challenges your strength, control, and concentration in ways impossible to explain. Not to mention, they’re much less boring. Being strong in every situation means testing yourself in every environment with every tool. And there are plenty in supply. This past week, I trained in 5 different “gyms,” using at least 6 different types of apparatus, while still managing to adhere to principles 1-3. I think this could be THE biggest reason why this week felt so much better than so many others.

That's all I got for now. I’m writing next week’s program now with an eye towards building an even better lineup… If anybody knows other principles of variation I’ve overlooked, please share.

Buttes Chaumont Video

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Workout of the Day:

30 minute AMRAP:

w/ 5 kilogram pack do

50 meter bear crawl uphill

50 meter bear crawl downhill

400 meter hill/stair run

This took place at the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in Northeast Paris. As I may have described before in an earlier post, it’s one of the prettiest parks I’ve ever been to. It is also full of hills, stairs, bridges, and paths with which one can get very creative.

After the heavy strength emphasis of yesterday’s workouts, today had to be an endurance effort. 30 minutes of constant motion with just more than bodyweight definitely fit the bill. The 50 meter hill I used for the crawling was steep, much steeper than the video makes it seem. Heading uphill: not too much of a challenge. Mostly felt it in my ass and hamstrings (deadlifts yesterday certainly a factor). Heading downhill, however, was much more difficult. Because of the degree of slope, hand placement was touchy. I had to find knobs of grass that I could balance my weight on as I reached forward for the next handhold, otherwise my palms would just slip from under me and the crawl would turn more into a slide. The end result was that the downhill crawling was slow going, and exhausting. Especially in my stomach and hips, even more so than a downstairs crawl.

Coming off the hill and going straight into the run was not particularly fun. The first 60 meters or so was flat, but then the path turned up a steep set of stairs that wound its way past the park’s waterfall and up on to the upper crest of the bluff. This measured approximately 200 meters of distance and 100 feet of elevation. Once on top, there was another 60 meters or so of flat ground as I crossed the neo-Roman single arch bridge the park is famous for, then another 80 meters of slope to the top shelf where the temple sits overlooking the city.

Each set felt equally bad, though it was taking me progressively longer to complete them. I was able to finish 4 full rounds, plus a 5^th set of the bear crawl circuit in 30 minutes. If I was a true warrior, I would have done the 5^th run just for the hell of it. Maybe next time. Beth got some great footage that I’m hoping to edit together tomorrow. The place itself is so beautiful, even my amateur skills shouldn’t be able to ruin it.

Rest day tomorrow, then “Pullups across the Pond” with Frank Passanante from Steelfit on Monday. He’s set the bar high, so it’s my challenge to measure up.

Trans-Continental Workout #6... and then some

Workout of the Day:

In the morning…

Strict Press 3, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1

Trans-Continental Workout #6 with Josh Courage:

10 to 1 Deadlift (145 kg) and Muscle Up

In the evening…

3 rounds for time at the Louvre:

20 meters handstand walk

20 meters walking lunge

100 double under

BIG day today. Library early, museum late… lots of training in between. Suffice it to say that I am beat and ready to sleep until Sunday.

Things began with the 6^th installment of the trans-continental workouts I’ve been doing with my boy Josh back in DC, consisting of a decreasing pyramid from 10 to 1 of 145 kg (319#) deadlifts and muscle ups. Before embarking on this adventure, however, I did some overhead pressing to test where my strength was at.

It’s up! My sets of 3 were: 60 kg, 65 kg, 70 kg, 75 kg. After getting 3 at 75 kg I was feeling great about where things stood. My 1RM coming in was 80 kg, so I decided to do a few extra sets to see if I could beat it. I finished at 85 kg (187#) on the last set! This is a huge jump for me, and, honestly, since overhead pressing has been a weakness for a long time, I was thrilled.

Therefore, I had all kinds of energy heading into the challenge a few minutes later. Unfortunately, there were a few limitations imposed by my gym. Namely, I had to tie my rings up on a wall mounted pullup bar that only extended a foot or so from the wall. This meant that I could get no real swing for my kip. All the hip and knee drive had to come from a dead hang position, and I couldn’t string any of them together back to back. This certainly made the workout harder than it otherwise would have been, but it made the muscle ups more of a strength move than a technical one, which isn’t so bad if you're trying to get strong.

The first 10 deadlifts were smooth (the weight didn’t feel heavy—happy about that), and I knocked the 10 muscle ups out in singles without any trouble. The set of 9 deadlifts felt considerably heavier, and the muscle ups took far longer. This trend would continue as my grip began to tire, my back began to weaken, and the class of students began to pay more attention to my banging around the gym. Things really started grinding from set 8 to set 5, but picked back up for the last 4, and I stopped the clock at 24:00 exactly. I think that I could have finished under 20 with a standard set of rings without question, so that would be the number to shoot for next time I do this. Unfortunately, I don’t have video footage on this WOD, but hopefully Josh does for his part. Courage Performance Blog

Later in the evening I joined my good friend Beth from DC over at the Louvre for our version of night at the museum. I’ve been wanting to do a workout here for awhile, and tonight was perfect. Things didn’t quite measure up to the standard I had hoped for with the handstand walking (turns out I'm still no gymnast), but the location was so unreal it didn't matter. The courtyard was lit, the pyramid was gleaming, the air was nice, and there were people out to enjoy it all. If you haven’t been to the Louvre at night, make it a priority.

I went through the 1^st round pretty well, only falling twice on the handstands during 20 meters and making it through the double unders in 2 sets. The second round was a bit worse, as it probably took me twice as long to walk the 20 meters on my hands. But the third round was where things really fell apart. I came into it at 8:30; I came out of it at 14:14. I just had no balance left. My core was unsteady, my shoulders were shot, and I didn’t have the concentration to pull my shit together.

Still, I loved the workout—this kind of thing, you can literally do anywhere. Big thanks to Beth for filming, doing a workout of her own after I finished, and then walking around the museum with me until closing time (picture above is from Napoleon III's grand salon). All in all, an incredible night.

The video of the handstand WOD is pending upload on youtube and should be ready tomorrow.

Go Climbing

Workout of the Day:

Climb something

I took Niels over to the docks today to play around on the staircase from last weekend a bit more. We essentially turned it into a climbing wall, trying all sorts of different variations on all different levels. We did spider climbs, both on the flat beam and the inclined one; under stair climbs, with overhand grip and reverse grip; lateral scaling, ala “ninja warrior”; and pullup variations from different heights and grip positions. I don’t have any video footage, but I wish I did. Some really cool ideas came out while we were there.

Doing all this stuff today reminded me how much I enjoyed going to rock climbing gyms and exploring the river trails in Maryland and Virginia. It’s a very fluid kind of fitness, requiring body control, upper body strength, and a mental keenness that is lacking in a lot of other disciplines. Today didn’t feel like a WOD, and that’s a good thing from time to time. There wasn’t a time component to fulfill, there wasn’t a PR to hit. It was a physical interaction with an obstacle, with no barriers, requirements, or limitations. It was creative fitness at its purest. We probably spent 90 minutes messing around, trying different things, and they were not idle times. Afterwards my arms and back were toasted and I was craving food. The work got done, I assure you, but the method by which it did so was completely different. If variation is the key to well-rounded fitness and well-rounded programming, then using alternate modalities has to be in the repertoire.

These kind of days are not common enough, I realize, and I’m going to work towards changing that. Tomorrow is for rest, study, and perhaps some more touring. With another Washingtonian in town, there is much to see and do.

Mr Clean

Workout of the Day:

Ground to Overhead 3, 3, 2, 1, 1,

Squat Clean 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

Sooooore today. The sandbag run turned out to be much more effective than at first assessment. My core is sore throughout, my upper back and shoulders are aching, and I can feel fatigue all down my legs. If anyone has access to a bag/weight, do this exercise.

More good news? The weightroom is open for my 2 P.E. classes this week! This was both surprising and exciting to learn. I came in expecting the door to be locked just like last night, but just when you start expecting the bad the good comes running.

Also, I'm starting to win over the resident coach I think. Before I began working today, he came over and helped me rig a system of mats to soften the bar’s landing, enabling me to drop it from overhead without damaging the floor or anyone’s eardrums. This was HUGE. I could actually go for it on clean and jerks for the first time since moving to Paris. Considering it had been awhile, I did not expect to do so well with the top end weights. My numbers were: 85 kg, 95 kg, 105 kg, 115 kg, and 125 kg (tied PR). My form was sloppy receiving the bar on the last few sets (feet slid way too wide), but the clean was strong and the jerk was really smooth. Honestly, it felt great. The wide split of the feet was concerning, however, so I did 5 sets of squat cleans with bumper plates on either side of my feet to discourage over-splitting. This is a technique I picked up from Anders Knudsen at Butcher’s Lab in Copenhagen. I kept the weights low (55 kg, 75 kg, 95 kg, 105 kg, 105 kg) and practiced being comfortable dropping straight down instead of sliding out. Hopefully it helps in the future. I may even start my sets using this technique to try and get some muscle memory before hitting the heavy workloads.

No gym tomorrow, so things are going to have to get creative. If its a nice night, I’m thinking it may be time to pay a visit to the Louvre courtyard.

Sandbag at the ready

Workout of the Day:

20 minute AMRAP:

Sandbag run for meters (30 kg)

Well it was another long night of Olympic hockey. After an utterly incredible game and disappointing ending, I stayed out and drank a few more with the victorious Canadian fans in Paris. It was a show of good sportsmanship, I thought, but it kept me from my bed until after 3 am. Needless to say, running with an extra 30 kg was not exactly what I felt like doing this morning.

However, it didn’t wind up being so bad. The real challenge was fatigue in my arms (from holding the bag on my shoulder) and lower back/obliques (from supporting the lopsided weight). I did this on the track behind my apartment, so my distance was as accurate as one can expect. In 20 minutes I was able to carry the bag 3400 meters, or just over 2 miles. Honestly, I never felt out of breath, meaning one of two things: I wasn’t running fast enough, or the weight was light. I really don’t think the weight was too light, so I have to assume that I could have gone a little faster on the run.

The biggest surprise was 5 minutes after I finished. I had sat down to rest for a few breaths, and when I stood up my calves were locked in cramps. I had felt them a little during the run, but nothing like this. It happened a few more times throughout the day as well. This was not an expected effect of this workout, but it makes sense in retrospect.

This evening I was all set to do a great workout in tandem with some friends back in Washington D.C., but my gym threw me a curveball. It closed. It seems to be closed all week, in fact. I think it has something to do with a holiday for the students (not me), but I’ve learned that no one ever truly knows the reason for anything that happens in France. Sadly, the workout will have to be postponed until I regain access to the facility. Not sure what this means for my week, will have to just take it as it comes…

Rest Day

Industrial Park Chipper

Workout of the Day:

The Industrial Park Chipper:

5 meter spider climb

20 burpees to a 9 foot target

20 overhead lunges (25 kg)

8 step under-stair climb

20 strict toes to bar

20 stone squats

20 handstand pushups

20 KB swings (25 kg)

200 meter weighted run (25 kg)

I went back to the East Seine docks this morning feeling great. My shoulder had no pain, my legs and butt were the right amount of sore from the single leg deadlifts yesterday, and I was well rested. The perfect storm of circumstances to tackle a challenging routine, and Didzis was there to make sure I didn't wimp out (pictured above).

The spider climbs were an exercise that were screaming to be attempted, just from the construction of the staircase down by the river. Hooking my heels on top of the lip of the I-beam running parallel to the ground 8 feet up, I pulled myself up along the 45 degree angle to the top, a distance of about 5 meters. I then reversed course and carefully slid/climbed back to the bottom. This was the most dangerous element of the workout, so it had to be done first while I was fresh, and it was worth it. It was a very cool combination of grip/arm strength, coordination, and lower body stability. Finding a spot to do this type of inverted exercise will do anyone good.

The burpees were tough. A 9 foot target is much higher than I thought it was, and re-emphasized how pathetically I normally jump during burpees. This was a good change of pace in that respect. The overhead lunges weren’t too challenging. 20 steps just isn’t very many, but that was okay considering the rest of the workload still to come.

Heading back to the staircase, I jumped up and grabbed the under side of a step probably 9 ½ feet up (it took me 2 jumps to catch the ledge), and began reverse climbing up the stairs. Going one at a time was the safest play, as my lower body was definitely not keeping itself as steady as I would’ve liked. There were 8 stairs between the cross beams, so that was as far as I could go. Coming down was actually the most challenging part. Controlling momentum and being accurate with the hand placement as the grip starts to fail is a challenge.

And my grip was failing, so the toes to bar were the perfect exercise to follow. I did them strict while gripping either side of the I beam from underneath. These felt great because there was no bar to kick. I actually increased the range of motion by kicking back beyond my hands on most of the repetitions.

Next came the stone squats. Ouch. The parking median weighed around 50 kg if I had to guess, but felt like more. Holding it vertically in both hands and leaning it back against my chest, I squatted down until my hands nearly touched the ground. Doing squats this way really lets you get deep. My legs fatigued quickly, and all over. This exercise was phenomenal. I’m planning on coming back here on a strength day and doing these with a heavier stone because they were so effective. The balance and weight distribution are perfect. Much better than doing barbell squats.

The handstand pushups were next up, and I was a little nervous because of my shoulder. Non-issue. I got 10 in a row the first go, then finish with 5, 3, and 2. Definitely getting better here. The KB swings were much more difficult. Swinging the fence post anchor was really awkward and my hands couldn’t really fit in the handle because of the gloves I was wearing. It took me 3 sets to finish 20… not so impressive. However, much more impressive than the weighted run to finish. I had assumed this would be no problem, but as soon as I took off with the 25 kg weight wrapped to my chest, my posterior chain lit up. Ass, lower back, everything. I dropped for a rest after the first 100 meters, and again with about 60 meters to go.

Finally I was able to finish, stopping the clock at 13:29. Overall, the time wasn’t bad, but certainly could stand improvement in a few areas. The video is posted below. Looking forward to a day of rest and enjoying the impending American gold medal in ice hockey. Let’s hear that anthem…

One leg at a time

Workout of the Day:

Single leg barbell deadlift 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Good Mornings 10, 10, 10

I took it easy today, trying to avoid using my shoulder too much. Honestly, it feels much better. I haven't even noticed it since this morning. I'm going back to the banks of the Seine tomorrow afternoon to get creative, so hopefully things are back in order.

Tonight's workout felt great overall. I can definitely feel a strength difference between my left and right legs, though. Initially it was as though my right hamstring was doing all of the work and the glute was disengaged. I did a few hip stretches and single leg bridges in between sets (a trick to activate the glutes I picked up from T-Nation a few years back) and things felt better. My weights were: 70 kg, 80 kg, 85 kg, 90 kg, and 90 kg, respectively. Being that I could get 4 repetitions on single leg with this weight, it seems even more obvious that the limiting factor in my deadlifting is not my lower body.

I finished with 3 sets of 10 bent knee good mornings with 40 kg. The goal here was to try and use only my lower back to lift the weight, since that's the area needing the most work. These felt fine also, so I probably could have used a little heavier weight.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Fitness is...

Dealing with injury.

As much as we’d like it to be otherwise, our bodies are perishable items.

It’s pretty common to describe impressive athletes as machines or beasts, but they’re not. Olympic Biathletes are the same mix of blood, bone, and tissue as everybody else; subject to the same wear and tear, susceptible to the same bumps, bruises, and breakdowns. The most elite CrossFitter’s body and psyche wilts under heavy stress just like yours or mine, albeit at a seemingly much slower rate. The point is, everyone has limits. While pushing them is necessary to progress, ignoring them will put you on the shelf more often than not. And I don’t see too many people PR’ing from the rehab room.

I was reminded of my limits the other night at the Cite gym. I was doing weighted dips, and at some point during my 4^th set I felt a twinge in my right shoulder. I shook my arm a little, rotated the joint forward and back, massaged the area (doing all those clinical tests that determine whether an injury is serious or not…) and prepared to get back on the bars. Trying to do the first repetition, I could feel things still weren’t quite right. The pain wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t have continued, but it was awkward enough to make me think twice. This was the critical moment where so many people lose their natural capacity for rational thought and decide to just “work through it.” Thankfully, I decided to call it a night rather than pushing my luck. It was frustrating, annoying, and I didn’t want to do it, but it was the right thing to do. After leaving the gym, it started to tighten up and I could tell that I had definitely strained the muscle to some degree. If I had stayed and continued with the program I had set out to do, things could very easily have gotten worse. As it is, I rested last night, rested today, and it’s starting to feel better already.

It was a pretty simple decision that is easy to justify on a number of levels. The question is, why is this so hard to do for so many people? I have a few theories.

First, there’s the hourglass phenomenon. All too often, people convince themselves that every day not working is a day wasted; as if the realization of their ultimate physical potential depends most urgently upon the number of training days they check off the calendar. Training programs become planned to the point that one is so mentally invested in the process of squeezing everything in that he can’t bring himself to walk away from a bad physical situation. This is so blatantly illogical that a profound ignorance/imposed blindness of physiology is the only explanation. To quote one of my dearest friends and teammates, “you have to rest to progress.” It’s trite, but true. Working every day without recovery, or every week without a break, will keep your body in a constant state of recovery, never reaching 100% of its work capacity. In fact, it will drop lower and lower as you go on, raising the risk of injury as the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints wear out along the way. It makes no sense to ask 100% of your body when it only has 60% to give. The human body is born of the natural world, and is governed by waves and periods just like orbits, seasons, and tides. Treat it that way and we find ourselves in a healthy rhythm with huge performance benefits. Treat it otherwise and we grind our gears until they stop.

Second, people don’t know how to listen to their bodies. It takes a good deal of experience to know the difference between pain and injury, and even more to know what types of injuries pose the risk of becoming serious. Knowing the difference between joint pain and muscle pain, between soreness and strains, between physical weakness and mental weakness: these are nuanced senses that you have to develop. Then, once you develop them, you have to listen. What good is knowing that my shoulder just tweaked if I ignore the message and go on pressing like nothing happened? I know too many people who sustain minor injuries to their knees, ankles, shoulders, or backs and refuse to acknowledge the problem. Total shocker: those problems are still there, and they’ve usually led to new injuries in other areas.

Third, most of us don’t know how to deal with injuries once we get them. Most injuries sustained during the course of a given workout are not career-enders. If something serious happens (tear/break/rupture) and you need surgery or extended immobilization, this is obviously a different matter and you’re likely going to be laid up a while whether you like it or not. However, if something tweaks, strains, or pulls, chances are its minor and just needs the right blend of rest, recovery, and mild activity to heal itself. The good news is, the right blend isn’t hard to figure out. Different injuries require different treatments, most of which will include ice, massage/stretching, and mild activity (All these salves are designed to circulate nutrients and blood through the affected area). Talking to others who have had similar problems and using resources online are great ways to find the right method for treating whatever it is that’s bothering you. What’s NOT effective is pretending like nothing’s wrong, or “testing it out” on Fight Gone Bad before it’s ready.

Lastly, people often think an injury is a matter of toughness. This is the unfortunate offspring of a culture obsessed with winning and sacrifice. The stories in American sports alone (the area I know most about) abound: Ronnie Lott choosing to amputate his finger on the sidelines rather than leave the football field to have it treated, Michael Jordan scoring 45 points while doubled over with a stomach flu, Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open with a torn ACL. These feats are worshiped for their toughness, and for good reason. These were calculated sacrifices for a goal worthy of physical injury, both in dollar amounts and in the commitment to their teammates and fans. What these men did is, and never will be, the same as someone tearing their hands open on a pullup bar at their local gym, then doing 50 more pullups. It’s not the same as gimping your way through a mainsite WOD of box jumps and double unders when you have a sprained ankle. Daily training is about improvement and progress, so what could be the possible benefit of standing on a branch that’s about to break? You risk days, weeks, or months of recovery for the ego boost you got for “toughing it out.”

I’m no cyborg, so I’m going to take it easy the next few days, ice, stretch, and make sure my shoulder is okay before doing anything serious with it. There are plenty of areas that don't involve the shoulder joint where I need work, so it shouldn't be too big a deal if I lay that hourglass on its side. Gotta rest to progress.

AM...PM

Workout of the Day:

In the morning…

30 minutes low intensity run

In the afternoon…

Snatch 2, 2, 2, 1, 1

Back Squat 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

The small space didn’t prove too much of an issue today, though it is definitely hard to concentrate with people milling around a few feet away. And I was too scared to push my limits on the weight because getting it down from overhead is a bit of a chore (I’m still hesitant to drop it from the top in the middle of the class, so I half catch, half drop). My weights were: 70 kg, 80 kg, 85 kg (miss 2^nd), 85 kg, and 90 kg. The last repetition of the day went up really easy and clean, so that was a great way to finish things off.

The back squats felt heavy. My weights were: 125 kg, 135 kg, 145 kg, 155 kg, and 160 kg. The last repetition on each of the last 2 sets was a pretty good fight, and I could definitely feel my knees diving in as I pushed to get each up. Getting 3 repetitions at 160 kg is ok, but not great. I think a 3 rep max at 175 kg is going to be my goal for these next few months. Hopefully that will help me get my 1 RM to 200 kg.

I connected with my friend Richard in Brussels today over Facebook because he has a line on a set of lifting shoes. It’s long overdue, but I’m going to find a way to get them in the next few weeks, hopefully. Squatting and snatching in Airwalks has its advantages, but I don’t think optimum performance is one of them.

Running the Eiffel Tower tomorrow afternoon. Hoping to crack 5 minutes to the top.

Down with Canada!

Workout of the Day:

8 sets strict pullup variations

3 sets lateral toes to bar

3 sets back extension

After staying up til 5am watching the U.S. beat Canada in Olympic hockey, I was feeling a little rough this morning. There were quite a few celebratory shots taken at the Great Canadian Pub in Paris so today’s workout was more of a recovery effort than anything else.

I decided to take a page from my friend and pullup aficionado Frank Passanante @ Steelfit and spend the evening getting creative with various strict pullups. I did 2 sets pulling as high as possible, getting my sternum to the bar. I did 3 sets with a towel thrown across the support beam and using it to pull myself up until my head cleared the bar on either side. I did the next 2 sets pulling away from the bar so that my legs and hips raised up as my head and chest peeled back. This variation was cool because it engaged a different part of the back entirely. The last 2 sets were L-sit chin ups. I was getting between 6-10 repetitions for all of these.

Continuing in the creative vein, I worked 3 sets of lateral toes to bar. This is where you try to pull your legs up at an oblique angle. I couldn’t get close to the bar but felt the effects nonetheless. I also did a few sets of hanging rotational L-sits, continually rotating from side to side without dropping the thighs below parallel.

Finishing up with the back extensions put the finishing touches on my hangover. I walked out of the gym feeling much better than when I walked in and I’m always happy with that. Tomorrow I’m going to try to snatch in the cramped space available, but I may need an alternate plan just in case. Fingers crossed.

Part I... Part II

Workout of the Day:

Part I:

3 rounds for time:

250 meter sandbag run (30 kg)

9, 6, 3 wall climbs & burpee box jumps

Rest 1 hour

Part II:

20 minute progression ladder

Alternate between pullups and OH squat (40 kg)

Coach Didzis came with me today to help film and encourage. I’d been waiting for a sunny day to do Part I for a while now, and finally Paris obliged. The sandbag runs were terrible, just as I remembered them being. The stretch of road we used had a slight incline so that on the way out things felt okay. Coming back, however, was another story. Each of these sets got progressively slower, but I never had to stop or drop the bag. That’s a victory.

The wall climbs were great! This is a really exercise that is much harder than it looks and teaches you how to move your body around an object that isn’t moving. It was especially difficult today because the area just in front of the wall was wet, causing my feet to slip off the stone surface when I went to plant and spring upward. I probably would have been better off not even trying to use my feet for help given the conditions. Either way it was exhausting and fun at the same time.

The burpee box jumps were equally fun. I used the other side of the wall (just over waist high) and got a rolling start into every jump just to be sure I could get all the way up. The whole sequence took 13:26 to complete, but it felt like much longer. My forearms are a little nicked up from the stone but, all in all, no major damage done.

I rested exactly an hour then headed into the Cite gym to do the progression ladder. The heaviest weight available on Saturdays was a 40 kg relic of a barbell with welded weights on either end. This wound up being too light for the OH squats, but it had to do. I completed the first 8 sets of pullups unbroken, but had to split on the 17 and 19 repetition rounds. The squats I never broke. I contemplated continuing past the 20 minute mark, but decided against it. 60 kg is the weight that should be used for this sequence, then 20 rounds would be a serious challenge.

The video footage from both parts is below…