Friday WOD

Workout of the Day AM - WOD 1: Snatch 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1 75 meter truck pull PM - WOD 2: 3 rounds of 10 pullup, 20 box jump, 30 ring dips, 40 air squats This morning was amazing. Trained at my buddy John's house--he has a full bumper set and doesn't mind throwing weights around so it allowed me to lift heavy in a non-gym setting. I got 90 kg for a 3 RM. Felt incredible. That was just a recent 2 RM personal best, so this was pretty unexpected. Then for the singles I missed 100 kg the first rep, but then got it the next two attempts. This has me so confident going into a heavier load. We didn't have smaller increment weights today so I couldn't try anything below 110 kg and I thought that would be too big a jump. Afterwards we took his old '70s blazer out in to the street and rigged the ropes to the front tow hitch. We found a decent stretch of flat ground that built into an incline and got after it. BLEW UP my calves and quads. Getting to the top of the hill wasn't happening but we made it 75 meters alright. Then we turned around and started doing deadlift rows alternating every 10 pulls to keep the truck moving. Finally, we finished up with a tandem prowler push using the truck as weight. Top notch session all in all. This evening I went to the park with another friend and tied the rings up to a swing set. This went pretty quick and I think could have had a little better intensity. Tomorrow is the wedding and Sunday is Fathers Day. Planning on getting back to a more regular schedule Monday. I have pictures to come of the last few days so stay tuned for those.

Thursday WOD

Workoout of the Day: 5K row for time. I've been a little backed up these first few days in California with my buddy's wedding, but I managed to test my 5K time yesterday morning. Previous best was 18:47--managed 18:21 this time around. The challenge is always to stay with it menatlly for that long a span, and every time I go for it I have to find new ways to manage. Overall I was very excited with the time though. Would love to get it under 18 minutes.

Farewell Europe

On a plane today back to California and thought it a fitting time to announce the first Anywherefit group trip.

Imagine taking 10 days to see natural beauty, history, and museums, to enjoy and experience local culture with people who actually live there, and to train your ass off all along the way. This is the idea behind this project. It will organize diverse trips that explore the world while training in creative and interactive ways and forging a personal connection with like minds around the globe.

Mark the calendars for August 2011. Anywherefit Iceland happens then.

Rest Week

Been 4 days since I last trained and I am itching to get active again. Thesis gets turned in tomorrow, then I'm back in the California saddle on Wednesday for whole new set of adventures. 5 weeks and counting...

Fitness is...

Character.

I am overwhelmed by the indiscernability of this idea. It’s something that I universally respect when I encounter it in a training partner, but that I can never quite determine the content of. It seems to exist independent of personality, status, or origin—the people I’ve met and been impressed by in the last year alone cover so broad a spectrum of personality types and nationalities I can’t even begin to categorize them. It seems independent of the task at hand—I’ve walked away from a low intensity stretch session with more respect for the guy next to me than after workouts that put us on the floor in total pain.

I may not be able to get my head all the way round it, but there’s three things I know about character for certain:

I know it when I see it.

I’m motivated by the individuals who have it.

CrossFit builds it.

I sat down the other day and tried to make a list of traits (as they pertain to fitness) that might be the basis of character and I swear I couldn’t find one that stood alone. It’s not effort… That manifests itself in all kinds of spastic, ill-conceived ways that I 100% do not respect. It’s not results… There are plenty of “goal getters” out there who are relatively low quality individuals. Sure, I may have been able to narrow down a couple qualities that were more essential than others (confidence, toughness, honesty, humility, purpose, etc) but the relevant fact remained that none could explain it alone. It’s truly a trait nearly impossible to pin down.

Perhaps this is because it’s a non-static value. Think of character like a multi-trait fluid that, like blood in the body, goes where it’s needed and adjusts its shape accordingly. For example, whether a guy talks a lot during a training session says very little about his character—maybe he’s good enough to date my sister or maybe he’s ready to steal my wallet. But choosing to speak at the right time--when it serves to motivate someone else or to deflect attention away from himself--this quality speaks volumes.

The same can be said for toughness. Most times it means gritting your teeth and training through pain. But others it means swallowing your pride and taking time off to lick your wounds. Mastering this flexibility takes a lot more than a single trait.

Having character is the ability to get this fluid equation right in every situation, even when it’s not necessarily personally advantageous. At the European Regional I watched Annie Thorisdottir absolutely embarrass the pullup bar during the third WOD, butterflying chest to bars like they were nothing. At one point she missed a rep and the judge didn’t see it, giving her credit for a repetition she did not complete. Now, only a few points separated the first 4 positions in a 3 person qualifying event. If there was ever a moment when getting through a workout fast meant everything this was it. Further, it was obvious that she was capable of doing the work, she just came up half a centimeter short one time. Annie told the judge that she missed, got back on the bar and did another one anyways. Obviously.

Seeing this type of thing in an event of this magnitude had an interesting effect. First, it made me respect her tremendously. It wasn’t even that she did the extra rep that impressed me; it was the fact that not re-doing it literally never crossed her mind. That she didn’t hesitate says a lot about what Annie’s made of.

Second, it motivated me to perform on a level worthy of the standard she had set. This is the more important point. The presence of one person in the room who never misses a repetition imposes an implicit expectation on everyone else to do the same. If an athlete finishes first and stays to support those finishing last, everyone in between will also feel responsible to do so. In this sense, character has gravity. It becomes much more than a quality subsumed in a single individual and begins to snowball into something far more impactful.

CrossFit creates many situations that benefit from such a quality simply due to its competitive foundation. It takes a lot of mettle to throw your hat in the ring and risk failure in front of your peers, but the example of one or two willing to lay it on the line eases that burden considerably. Those are the people I respect most. They don’t apologize for wanting to be the best, but they expect the same from everyone else. No shame. No excuses. In competition, they’re grounded enough to take credit when they win and honest enough to give it when they get beat. This kind of perspective in the fitness community inspires people to be better than they otherwise would be. They begin to expect the same level of confidence, toughness, honesty, humility, and purpose from themselves that they see in the leaders around them.

If there’s one reason I’m excited about going back to the CrossFit Games this July it’s not because I want to win $25,000, although that would be nice too. The bigger draw is to be surrounded and inspired by a stadium full of these types of people.

Cross Gym

Workout of the Day

Barbell Complex (60 kg)

10 rounds for time of:

1 Power Snatch

2 OH Squat

3 Power Clean

4 Thruster

5 Back Squat

6 Burpee with lateral jump

One day in Milan and I’m physically destroyed. I got off the plane and met up with Maurizio, Umberto, and Alex around 1:00 this afternoon, heading to their home gym soon after. Talk about a beautiful place. Maurizio has effectively converted what once was a 2 story lofted flat into a CrossFit palace. The entire ceiling is vaulted glass, showering the place with natural light at all hours of the day. The exposed steel infrastructure rises 10+ meters above the floor, giving the place a sense of endless space. The floor is wide open and covered by clean composite rubber. The place is loaded with toys, including 5 different types of ropes for climbing, dragging, grappling, and tugging. I seriously cannot wait to see what we get into tomorrow.

The idea today was to get some pictures of me training with the equipment in the fashion I typically would. Not surprisingly, this took us outside on a field trip. With us we brought a weight vest (utilizing sand weight rather than metal—amazing), some medicine balls, a barbell and bumpers, a couple kettlebells, and a sandbag. I did some wall climbs, some weight vest sprints, and a few kettlebell snatches.

After this we drove over to an abandoned property that used to belong to an important citizen of Milan a number of years ago. It’s completely crumbling now, but remains beautiful because of the exposed stone, large courtyards, and natural overgrowth. This was the setting in which I did the above mentioned barbell complex. With the temperature just over 30 degrees Celsius (85 ish?) and the dust kicking up all around me, this was not easy. To be fair, I don’t think it would have been easy in a vacuum-sealed, air-conditioned chamber either. The first 2 sets I only dropped the bar after the OH squats, but from then on I dropped it in between the 2^nd and 3^rd power clean as well. The idea here was to get my shit together before going into the thrusters. They were by far the worst. The overall impact during the WOD was most strenuous on the lower back, but now that I’m done I can really feel it in my legs. 10 snatches, 20 OH squats, 30 cleans, 40 thrusters, 50 back squats, and 60 burpees will do that to you I guess.

My final time was 19:21. Pretty stoked I managed to keep it under 20, but I gotta think it could’ve been done faster if the lower back doesn’t get smoked so early. Barbell complexes have a unique ability to do that to you though, so who knows. Really glad the guys were there to keep me moving, and get some great pictures along the way. All in all an incredible day capped by an incredible workout surrounded by great people. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Pictures to come...

Rest Day

Milano in the morning... catching the early bus. Looking forward to a great couple days of training with the guys at CrossGym.

Heavy Squats

Workout of the Day

Back Squat 5, 3, 1+ @ 85, 90, 95% 1RM

Bench Press 3 x max @ bodyweight

Glute Ham Pushups 15, 15, 15

Leg Press 15, 15, 15

Final day of heavy lifting before scaling things back for a week to recover. My squat sets were at 145 kg, 155 kg, and 162.5 kg respectively. The final set I managed only 5 repetitions—definitely disappointing. The 2^nd rep was a little loose and cost me some strength so that by the 6^th one I bottomed out completely with nothing left. Next time I squat will be in California, hopefully the time away will build me stronger.

The bench pressing was something I wanted to throw in because it hadn’t been done in awhile. At 85 kg, I got 21 reps the first set, 17 the second, and 14 the third. Overall, this was not too far off from where I was when I used to press a lot more frequently. Nice to know some things don’t go completely to shit when you ignore them.

Big happenings, just booked a ticket to Milan for Wednesday/Thursday to visit Umberto and company at CrossGym. Can’t wait. 9 days and counting til stateside.

CrossFit Journal Regional Article Here

Anywherefit Chipper

Workout of the Day

Anywherefit Chipper (meant to as much outside as possible):

800 meter run

30 meter handstand walk

5 rope climb (15 feet)

30 KB swing (32 kg)

5 KB thruster (2 x 32 kg)

30 Sumo Deadlift Hi Pull (50 kg)

5 Turkish Getup (32 kg)

30 Burpee

30 meter OH carry all weight used (2 x 32 kg KB & 50 kg barbell)

So you know if I'm going to name a chipper after this site, it must be something that combines a lot of disciplines, requires creativity, getting you dirty, and leaves you feeling demolished.

Well, that’s exactly how I feel. Certainly one of the most challenging chippers I’ve ever done for a couple of reasons. First, many of the elements require high levels of strength and coordination—two things that don’t often find themselves in the same exercise. Further, neither respond well to heavy breathing and muscle fatigue. A few examples of what I mean:

The handstand walk wasn’t terrible because it came early in the sequence, but it certainly wasn’t easy, especially the last 5 meters or so. After 800 meters of fast running it's hard to regulate your breathing, which, by extension, means it's hard to control your core. Without your core, you can't stand on your hands. Just isn't gonna happen.

More obvious were the problems on the KB thrusters and the Turkish getups. Brrrruuutal. 32 kg kettlbells are too big for most people to rack on their shoulders, so doing thrusters with 2 of them means you have to stabilize the weight at the bottom using mostly your arms to prevent them from dropping off. Needless to say, there's a big difference in balance and flexibility, and there's a ton of power wasted that is otherwise utilized with a barbell. I had to do singles. Every one felt like a max effort. Hell, even cleaning the weight to a rack position was a challenge after 5 rope climbs and 30 swings.

The getups were hard because they came late and they were heavy. To give you an idea of how hard these were, my boy Dellus is a fit guy. He was at 18 minutes coming into this portion and he didn't start the burpees until 5 minutes later. It’s so easy to get sloppy when you’re tired, but with this exercise you can’t be off in the slightest or else you miss.

The second thing that made this workout so difficult was its alternating rhythm between low volume, skill based movements and high volume, nuts and bolts movements. This made the challenge feel like a psychological interval. Not only did my body have to recover to take on the next element, but my brain had to either switch itself on (handstand walk, rope climb, kb thruster, Turkish getup, OH carry) or switch itself off (run, kb swing, sdlhp, burpees). Failing to do either leaves you in the wrong state of mind for the task at hand and that's no good.

When all was said and done I finished in 21:45, covered in sweat and asphalt. Big ups to Brian and CrossFit Central London for hosting the WOD, and to Dellus for putting me up last night in fine fashion. Going to miss you guys. This was really rough, but of course really fun. Hopefully somebody out there can get this thing under 20.

Rest day tomorrow, boy do I need it.

Friday, Day 18

Workout of the Day:

Strict Press 5, 3, 1+ @ 75, 85, 95% 1RM

Deadlift 5, 3, 1+ @ 75, 85, 95% 1RM

Seated Row 10, 10, 10, 10

Good Mornings 10, 10, 10, 10

L sit holds 3 x max

I could definitely feel the 30 muscle ups and 120 burpees from last night this morning. My upper back was tight and even my triceps were sore. Still was excited for today since it marks my 3^rd week on 5/3/1 and I’ve felt so good thus far.

The strict presses didn’t go extraordinarily well. I only got 6 at 72.5 kg for the final set—I was hoping to get 7-8. The deadlifts were a little better, but still not good enough. I got 7 at 170 kg and felt that my back was the limiting factor. In a sense, this was a good thing because it’s the first time since I’ve started this program that I hit a weight heavy enough to break my form down. Every other max set has been my ass and hamstrings giving out. Hopefully over the next month or so I can push this threshold higher.

The assistance work was real tough today. Good mornings just kick my ass every time… I’m a heaving sweaty mess after every set. I chose L-sits for the abdominal assistance because it has been brought to my attention that my hip flexors are weak in isometric contraction (Thanks BootCamp). Hopefully doing more of these types of exercises will rectify this in short order.

Heading to London tonight for the Opera and meeting up with Dellus, Jami and co. for a workout tomorrow morning. Can’t wait!

Workout of the Day

AM – WOD 1:

Snatch 2, 2, 2, 2 (within :30)

Front Squat to jerk 3+1, 3+1, 3+1

PM – WOD 2:

6 rounds for time:

5 unbroken muscle ups (full turnout)

20 unbroken burpees

:30 second penalty every time you break either exercise—assessed at the end.

Things started out feeling a little rusty this morning. I felt slow, my timing was off on the second pull, and things just weren’t clicking in general. I got my first attempt at 80 kg up alright, but missed the second behind me. I managed to regroup and get it on the 3^rd but it was ugly. The weight didn’t feel heavy, but something was off. I moved up to 90 kg and missed the first attempt badly. For those of you who doubt the importance of videotaping yourselves, this is an example of why it is necessary on these types of movements. Checking the tape I noticed that my starting position was never static. I was almost rolling into the start like you would a deadlift. My hips never got below the bar and I inevitably rocked forward and left the weight out front. What’s more, I wasn’t dropping all the way into a good low catch position. The next set I played with the start position a little, got the first attempt but still missed the second. I checked the video again and saw that things were better but not all the way where they needed to be. The final set I exaggerated my start position, really focused on staying vertical, and nailed both attempts like they were nothing. Especially noticeable was how much deeper I dropped under the bar. I think getting into the low position at some point prior to initiating the lift creates some muscle memory. Night and day from the way I had to fight the weight at 80 kg. So, new 2RM PR! Chalk it up.

Not going to go into the front squat to jerk, but just to clarify the movement: it’s 3 front squats followed by a single jerk. My top set was at 122.5 kg. Doing these with heavy legs means you have to be fast under the bar to get the jerk. Great exercise to teach speed.

The afternoon WOD took me back outdoors. The weather was literally the best it’s been since I’ve been in England. Not a breath over 70 degrees and crystal blue skies. I went to Port Meadows, found a tree branch and hung the rings by the water. Gotta say… I loved this workout. It turned into an interval WOD because of the need to prepare for unbroken muscle ups after doing 20 burpees. I wrapped the first round in 1:20, then waited til around 2:30 before hitting round 2. I nearly kept this pace the entire way, having to rest a little longer before the 5^th and 6^th sets of muscle ups. I made it through without breaking any MUs or burpees, stopping the clock at 14:56. Doing the muscle ups unbroken makes you rest, doing the burpees unbroken prevents you from doing so. A great combination I thought.

I'm interested to hear how others do on this so please try it and let me know.

Rest Day

Get your tickets for the CrossFit Games here:

http://games2010.crossfit.com/

Gullfoss Falls

Workout of the Day:

AM – WOD 1:

1 km run (every 250 m 50 jumping jacks & 5 burpees)

2 x 20 lateral slide fly pushups, 20 bent reverse fly (15 kg dbs) while partner holds plank position

2 x 15 ring pullups, 30 db incline press (15 kg dbs) while partner rotated 32 kg kb around body nonstop

2 minutes total time isometric front raise (16kg)

2 x 20 strict chin ups, 20 ring dips while partner dead hangs with knees raised

3 x 30 situps, 30 supermans

PM – WOD 2:

7 minute partner AMRAP KB complex

1 set per man, continue switching until time expires

PM – WOD 3:

Back Squat 3, 3, 3+ @ 70, 80, 90% 1RM

Glute Ham pushups 15, 15, 15, 15

I felt reasonably rested after last night’s run up Esja, but certainly not full strength. That thing was a bear. Started off the day with a predominantly upper body strength session at Bootcamp with Sven and had a lot of fun. My muscle endurance on some of these movements hadn’t been tested in a while, specifically strict pullups, so this was a great chance for some variety. I really liked the lateral slide fly pushups—really forced you to control your body in compromised positions.

Afterwards we took a drive into the country for some sightseeing, stopping to gawk at an 80 meter geyser before arriving at Gullfoss—aka the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen. Sven and I toted the 32 kg kettlebell with us and improvised the above workout on the cliff’s edge. Didn’t turn out to be too tough. We both agreed that perhaps doing 3 each before switching may have been a better interval than switching every one. Still, this was an incredible experience. I’ve posted the video below.

Finally, I got back to the gym for the heavy squats I should’ve done yesterday. I finished 7 repetitions at 155 kg for the final set, but certainly should’ve gotten at least 8. I kind of rushed the last attempt and lost my focus a bit on the way down. Wound up costing me on the way back up as I stalled and needed a spot to get back to the top. Overall I felt strong, even after such a full couple of days.

Looking forward to the day off tomorrow, even though it comes with a plane flight away from this beautiful country. Sven and Asta have been more than great hosts and I will miss them a ton. Thankfully, I’ll get to return the favor this July in California after the Games.

Run the Mountain

Workout of the Day

AM – WOD 1:

10 minute AMRAP w/ partner

75 meter med ball run (20 lb)

Max KB swing (24 kg)

PM – WOD 2:

Run the mountain

Last night was something of a perfect storm in Iceland. City council elections and Eurovision occurring simultaneously meant that everyone was out late, partying into the not so dark hours of the early morning. I was one of them. Sven, Asta, and I didn’t get home til just shy of 5 and I had to be up at the Level I cert by 9. Ouch.

Thankfully the guys got us working early so my hangover didn’t last too long. The workout was scored according to the total number of kb swings done by the partner not running at the end of 10 minutes. My partner and I managed 231 repetitions. This WOD was a fun way to get moving and burn out some of the stuff that had me dragging.

This evening I met up with Annie to go run Esja mountain, a “must do” activity if you’re ever in Iceland I’m told. I managed to convince Joe, Jon, and Karrieanna (certification instructors) to join us with much the same argument. This was amazing. Such a brutal run, first of all. And really not purely a run—there was much walking. The path winds 3.5 km around and up the face of the mountain, climbing 800 meters in elevation. That means one thing: STEEP. I had no aspirations of trying to tackle this thing with any sort of aggressiveness, simply to stay with Annie all the way up. My lower back was smoked; my quads, hamstrings, and calves were completely burnt, and it took us 34 minutes to complete.

Of course, the view from the top was worth the pain, even though it was frigid and windy. There was a huge sense of accomplishment and enjoyment in in getting to the top.

As I write this my hips, and legs are only getting tighter. I was hoping to squat tomorrow, but I’ll have to see how things feel. A good night’s rest is certainly in order.

BOOTCAMP!!!

Workout of the Day:

2 km run

5 x (30 steps bear crawl, 20 squat thrust, 5 clapping pushup)

400 m run

5 x (50 supine scissors, 20 second straight leg hold)

400 m run

35 atomic pushups (burpee w/o standing

5 x (50 supine scissors, 20 second straight leg hold)

35 atomic pushups

15 minutes of group log stuff… Alternating shoulder presses, bicep curls, static holds

20 strict pullups

Today was my first bootcamp experience, apart from the indirect effects of Sveinbjorn and co. in Halmstad. It didn’t disappoint. We worked for a legit hour. No water, no loitering around, no breaks. I emerged pretty beat up, with a few splinters in my hands, but overall completely satisfied.

This workout definitely had a military mentality to it. The exercises seemed engineered to make you uncomfortable and test how long you could hold out against your brain’s wish to stop working. From this point of view, it’s no big mystery why the athletes that come from here hold up so well mentally. It is physically impossible to do 5 sets of 50 spine scissors with 20 second straight leg holds in between without dropping your legs. But that’s what all the trainers were yelling and expecting from everyone. Perservering in the face of the impossible will inevitably build some fortitude.

The team log stuff was great! 7 or 8 people to a log and we never put it down. Overhead presses, curling it from waist to shoulder, even simply holding it at waist height while 2 at a time ran inside to do pullups. So creative and so simple. I loved this part.

From a physiological perspective, the movements we did today could be criticized for their repetitive nature. Sure, things could have been a lot more varied, but that’s not really the idea behind this type of workout. My hips haven’t done that much flexion in I don’t know how long so there was no way they were going to hold up. The point was to make sure they kept going even after they failed.

Tomorrow I will go to CrossFit Sport for the Level I cert they’re hosting and I’m sure there will be plenty of activity. Here’s hoping I recover quickly.

AM...PM

Workout of the Day

AM - WOD 1:

Strict Press 3, 3, 3+ @ 70, 80, 90% 1RM

Deadlift 3, 3, 3+ @ 70, 80, 90% 1RM

Weighted Chin ups (5 kg) 10, 10, 10, 10

Good Mornings 10, 10, 10, 10

Weighted Dips (5 kg) 15, 15, 15

Toes to Bar 15, 15, 15

PM – WOD 2:

5 rounds for repetitions:

With a 3 minute running clock, row 500 meters then do AMRAP double unders for the remainder.

Rest 1 minute between sets.

Record total double unders.

I was feeling a little under the weather today. I can’t tell if it’s hay fever or a head cold, but either way it’s very annoying and my nose is getting raw from all the blowing. Hopefully it clears tonight and I can get on the plane with no congestion.

WOD 1 was the first day of my second week on the 5/3/1 program. The weights were heavier and I felt stronger. My last set of presses I did 8 repetitions at 70 kg literally was an inch from getting the 9^th. Not sure where that last bit of strength went at the end, but it was a 4-5 second fight that I wound up losing. For the deadlifts I finished at 162.5 kg for 10 reps, dead stopping between again. That I was able to do the same number of reps at a weight 7.5 kg heavier was interesting. I felt that the limiting factor was muscle fatigue in my hamstrings and ass right around rep 8-9, same as last week. Strange feeling that I don’t recall getting with deadlifts, but whatever—it seems to be working.

WOD 2 was a pure recovery routine. My goal was to be consistent for 5 rounds and push things without burning out. To this end I was successful. Every 500 was under 1:45 and the double unders weren’t bad either. I hit 68 the first round, 69 the second, 75 the third, 74 the fourth, and 80 on the last. The first two rounds were lower because my rope was knotted too short and it kept clipping my toe. After MF-ing myself the first 2 sets I finally let out some slack and felt much better the rest of the way. In light of this, I think an average of 80 per round is very realistic. My total was 364, but I’d like to see 400. Overall recovery was great in the minute between rounds though, making me think that all this extra strength work hasn’t hurt me much in that area.

Resting tomorrow morning then flying to Iceland to visit Sven and company in the afternoon. I won't be back in Oxford til Tuesday, so my postings may be a bit sporadic. So ready for this trip.

Fitness is...

Support.

Know where to find it.

Everyone has their preferred competitive environment, not the least important aspect of which is the people they choose for company. And while your performance ultimately hinges on your ability to complete whatever challenge is set forth alone, having others nearby only enhances the likelyhood that you'll do so. Who do you lean on when you’re tired? Who do you celebrate with when you succeed? Who shares the burden of anxiety when the pressure mounts? These are pressing questions for which you'd hate not to have an answer come crunch time.

The recent Regional Qualifier in Halmstad offered a window into the different forms these networks can take. I saw the full spectrum of support in operation throughout the weekend, from family and friends lovingly absorbed in specific athletes to random spectators cheering anyone and everyone to succeed. There were many examples showing this disparity from which to pick; i've chosen three.

The Team

The crew from Iceland was like a pack of arctic dogs. They moved together, ate together, woke, slept, and breathed together. When one was competing, all were competing. During the final WOD of the weekend, Sven and I were within a few feet of each other but I doubt I could’ve heard a single word if he had uttered it. It felt like the entire island was raining down around us. It was the same when Annie competed; even louder when it was the affiliates’ turn. During the runs, they were chasing each other around the course shouting encouragement and epithets to the point that I doubt any competitor would dare not finish. After every event they crowded around offering congratulations and conciliation. In between they hung together, strategizing, laughing, and re-fueling for the next challenge. It was inspiring. I could only smile, pretend I was Icelandic, and assume they were yelling at me.

Support like this can have enormous benefit because, by spreading the burden over many shoulders, the individual feels less alone. He can drown out pressure, nerves, doubt, and even pain. It gives him pride in himself and in the group he represents, offering one more reason not to quit when things get tough. But it can also be overwhelming. Too many voices will blot each other out, leaving nothing but a wall of sound. Often it’s not the mass of noise that pushes us on, but the single voice that cracks the throng.

The Partnership

Richard Vanmeerbeek came to Halmstad with such a voice: his father; and during the course of the weekend this voice proved as strong as any crowd. I rarely saw one man without the other. Whether they were eating, lounging, or in the midst of an event there was never more than a few meters between them. Neither appeared affected by what happened in other heats or in events already completed. Their focus remained on what Richard could control: himself. When he competed the voice of his father sung above the rest, coaching and urging his son onward. When he rested their conversations were quiet and subdued, strategizing for the next event. If time allowed, they drove back to the hotel to eat and relax away from the surging energy of the Eleiko Center.

It was interesting to observe how well adapted Richard was to this type of environment in only his second or third competition. His demeanor was consistently calm, focused, and unagitated; hardly the hallmarks of a typical 22 year old CrossFitter. He wastes little energy and maintains maximum concentration. Much of that has to come from his intimate system of support and the calming influence of a person whose belief in him never falters. It’s a truism that the impact we have on a group and that which it has on us is reciprocal. Some guys are built of fire and brimstone and they need that type of environment to excel. Others prefer cooler heads with less distractions. Some seek both. Finding the right balance is crucial.

The Competitive Alliance

The support I enjoyed in Halmstad was unique from those mentioned above, primarily because its roots were so shallow (no relationship I have here is older than six or eight months). Yet there were people urging me on as hard or harder than any man there. I talked strategy with, and felt compelled by, many athletes I’d only just met. I was at ease between WODs because I was enjoying the company of people I’d visited with or competed against months earlier. A network of support like this would never forge itself so quickly in the real world, but it seems almost commonplace in this community. I think it’s this type of personal connection that makes CrossFit so uniquely rewarding.

To think that until last fall every person in Halmstad was a perfect stranger to me is truly a remarkable thing. Sven and I were fighting tooth and nail in every WOD, yet I found myself wishing for his success as much as I wanted my own. Since last November in Copenhagen, Sarah Troelson Krarup has become like a sister to me. She's the one I look to for advice, encouragement, and approval before and after every event. Jason Mulligan has been a friend since January of this year, but he's become one of my best mates in the months since. His presence in Halmstad was like that of a childhood friend you never needed to work to understand.

These people will be friends for the rest of my life. Such relationships are rare because theirs is a camaraderie built on competition, rivalry, and respect. CrossFit thrives on them. It's not rocket science that this community is so strongly knit... these people are its seams. I’ve come to realize that my time in Europe has been, among other things, a process of building such relationships.

It's a lonely journey that has produced in me a crowded soul.

Back to the Pool

Workout of the Day:

AM - WOD 1:

Swim ½ mile

PM – WOD 2:

Clean and Jerk 3, 3, 3, 3

Snatch Balance 3, 3, 3, 3

Today was my first day back in the pool since February in Paris and I was a tad nervous. Turned out to not be so bad after all. I managed to get through 400 meters without stopping, then took a brief break before changing strokes (did 100 meters of backstroke and 100 meters of breaststroke to break it up). The last 200 meters of freestyle was pretty sloppy. Still, most of the fatigue was muscular and not cardio-vascular so that is a promising sign. Once my body remembers how to be efficient in the water I think I should be okay. Actually, the kicking motion is going to be therapeutic for my STILL recovering ankles. Bonus.

The afternoon session had a little extra motivation behind it after following the Northeast Regionals this past weekend. I’d never done a true 3RM for clean and jerk and was curious what I could manage. After warming up, I opened at 80 kg for the first set. Things felt good, so I went to 100 kg for the 2^nd. A little shaky on the third repetition as I let my feet split too wide on the catch. This is still a nagging technical issue I have. The 3^rd set I did at 105 kg. Had trouble with the wide split on the second rep, but not the third. All the jerks felt easy. The final set was at 110 kg and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get it or not. Turned out I could. The last clean wasn’t my prettiest, but it came up. Again, no problem with the jerks.

Transitioning to snatch balances felt a little awkward at first, but then actually really good. My sets were 80 kg, 90 kg, 100 kg, and 110 kg. Probably the best I’ve ever felt doing this exercise. I missed the final set, losing my balance during the second repetition, but the weight didn’t feel overpowering at all. I really think that doing these more often will vastly improve my ability to get under heavy weights.

I’ve attached a clip of the 110 kg c&j.

Rest Day

Did a low impact run this evening to shake out the legs a little with my neighbor and I discovered what is easily my favorite part of Oxford thus far... Port Meadows. It's an enormous expanse of flood plane for the upper portion of the Thames River that flows all the way to London. The water is clear and swimmable, the fields beautifully dotted with flowers, horses, and cattle, and the atmosphere incredibly serene. In a way, it reminded me of certain parts of the American south because of the estuary like geography. Can't wait to return here for a proper workout. The ideas are piling up.

Day 7

Workout of the Day:

AM - WOD 1:

Every minute on the minute complete one 7 meter weighted rope climb (7 kg). Continue until failure to complete.

PM - WOD 2:

For time

500 meter row

30 DB burpee/squat clean/thruster (16 kg)

15 Toes to bar

10 Handstand pushup

500 meter row

My legs were a little heavy today, but as I was expecting as much I took precautions. By precautions I mean sleeping in my recovery tights. Never thought I’d hear myself say something like that, but it’s true and it’s not the first time. Every time there’s a heavy workload that I know will make me sore I sleep in those things and it limits the effects the next day. Made things a lot easier today for sure.

The morning workout was out in the meadow behind the University Park. BEAUTIFUL morning. It gets light by 6am here, so by 8 things are in full swing. I packed up my duffle bag with a little extra weight (around 7 kg worth of blankets, shoes, etc.) and went about climbing. I hope that I would be able to get 10 climbs in 10 minutes going in, but that plan derailed around minute 5 when I lost my feet and burned a ton of time and energy trying to recover. I ended up completing 7 rounds before failing on the 8^th. Still, not a bad showing. I did 2 extra climbs afterwards without the bag just because I felt like I should. A little extra practice never hurt.

This afternoon I met Niels at the college weightroom for a classic metcon. The idea here was to make it as intense as possible—a sprint with difficult elements thrown in. The first 500 went off in around 1:35, and I could already feel my legs starting to fatigue. Not a good sign with the DB burpee complex immediately to follow. This was terrible. The DBs felt twice as heavy as they were coming off the ground, and the squats were painful from the start. I ended up doing sets of 5 and 3 until I hit 30. Not sure how long it took me but it wasn’t fast. The toes to bar I did in 2 sets, no kipping at all. The pullup bar at this fitness center does not allow for any swing sadly. The handstand pushups were actually the easiest bit of all. I was able to knock out all 10 without issue and run back to the rower with just past 8 minutes gone. By the time I was strapped in and pulling, the clock was almost at 8:20, so I knew that sub 10 was possible if I didn’t go soft mentally. This proved a very valuable motivational tool. I pulled hard the whole way, counting my strokes to keep my mind off the meters slowly ticking down. My final time was 9:54. Niels came in at 11:39 and really gave it all he had. Great performance for a guy who really only just started training a few months ago. We were both out of commission for a good 10 minutes afterwards.

So, that puts week 1 of my program in the books. I had been worried that the workload would be too heavy, but now I don’t think so at all. The rest days and the work days balance out almost perfectly. At no time this week did I feel over-trained or weak (first day may be an exception coming back from rest week), and I think the WODs were very challenging across the board. Cannot wait til Tuesday to get after it again.

Squats

Workout of the Day:

Back Squat 5, 5, 5+ @ 65%, 75%, 85% 1RM

Glute Ham pushup 15, 15, 15, 15

Leg Press 15, 15, 15, 15

Back to the heavy lifting today and was feeling pretty strong. I’m a little sore from the sandbag WOD one Wednesday but nothing terrible. I really think this work/rest split is timing up perfect for my personal rate of recovery. My squat sets were at 110 kg, 130 kg, and 145 kg. The final one I was able to get 9 repetitions with full depth. Very happy with that result. The assistance exercises were a bit painful, but I got through them. Love glute ham pushups… imagine doing a glute ham raise, but with your feet wedged beneath something instead of on a machine. Then, use your arms to give you just enough help to get up. GREAT for the posterior chain. The leg presses were weird, since it’s probably been 3 years since I’ve used one of those machines. But I couldn’t think of a comparable assistance movement to substitute so I stuck with it.

Got two metcons planned for tomorrow, including weighted rope climbs. Good luck to all my friends competing in the Northeast Regional this weekend!

The Sandbag Chipper

Workout of the Day:

Using a 35 kg sandbag, do the following for time:

200 meter carry

30 bear hug squats

30 chest to overhead

200 meter carry

30 ground to shoulder

30 overhead lunges

200 meter carry

30 thrusters

30 wrap arounds

100 meter throw

I had a lot of fun today. Was feeling a bit tight still from Tuesday’s session in my hamstrings and shoulders, but a good dynamic warmup saw most everything working right. Niels and I headed over to Worcester College’s cricket field where we’d have a ton of space and no one to bother us. For the sandbag, we used the bag John and I made a few weeks ago, but stuffed the trash bags inside an old punching bag that I picked up at the farmers market for 6 lbs. Talk about a bargain. Now my sandbag was practically impenetrable to the beating I intended to give it.

The first 200 meters felt great. The bag didn’t bother me much at all, but I knew better than to push things too hard out of the gate from my previous bouts with bag sprinting in Paris. I got right into the squats, doing them unbroken, and followed immediately with the overheads, breaking only temporarily with the weight rest on my chest. The second 200 meters felt good as well. My heartrate was starting to elevate but I still felt under control. The ground to shoulders I did by swinging the bag between my legs so that it struck the ground on the way back then cleaning it up to my shoulder directly from the back position. This worked great—I was able to do all 30 without breaking rhythm. The OH lunges were awkward because of the shiftiness of the bag, but the weight felt fine. I did 15 out and 15 back, stopping at the halfway point to shake the arms out.

The final 200 meters were tough. By this point I was out of breath and starting to dread the thrusters coming up. They didn’t disappoint. I ended up having to do 6 sets of 5 because I couldn’t catch my breath and my arms were staring to go. They sucked the whole way but got done in the end. The wrap-arounds were much more difficult than I anticipated, and I think a very valuable exercise for people dissatisfied with CrossFit’s lack of transverse plane movement. You have to slingshot it with one arm around your back and catch it with the other while trying to maintain the momentum to carry forward to the next repetition. By the time I was finished I could barely hang on to the bag, making the last 100 meters of throws a lot more challenging. I elected to swing the bag forward like the cleans but releasing it on the way up. Not sure how many throws it took me, but the final time was 16:40.

I loved this sequence and am anxious to hear what others think if they try it. The video link is below.

Rest Day

Get Strong

Workout of the Day:

Strict Press 5, 5, 5+ @ 65/75/85% 1RM

Deadlift 5, 5, 5+ @ 65/75/85% 1RM (dead stop between reps)

Weighted chin ups 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Good Mornings 10, 10, 10

Dips 15, 15, 15, 15

Strict toes to bar 15, 15, 15

Sent mom home today so a little bummed. Won't see family again until the end of June... time to get focused for the home stretch.

No ill effects from yesterday apart from the soreness in the left ankle, so it seems my body was able to handle the workload. Good sign so far. This afternoon’s session brought me back a couple years to my days of hard core strength training, and I liked it. Tore a page from Wendler’s 5/3/1 scheme but just combined 2 of the days so I’ll be able to rest later in the week. The percentages were based on 90% of a 1RM, not an actual 1RM, as instructed by the 5/3/1 plan. This calculated my weights to be 50 kg, 57.5 kg, and 65 kg for the strict press, and 115 kg, 135 kg, and 155 kg for the deadlift. If I felt weak yesterday, I felt STRONG today. My third set of presses I got 9 repetitions, and my third set of deadlifts I got 10. I was especially happy with the deadlifts. 10 with a dead stop between at 155 kg is definitely a record for me. I felt evenly distributed fatigue and I think I could’ve maybe even gotten 1 or 2 more if I’d been willing to let the form slide a bit at the end.

The assistance work was pretty tough. A lot of sets and repetitions that my body isn’t used to so it was good. I did the first set of weighted chins with 10 kg, quickly realized that wouldn’t keep up, and switched town to 5 kg for the remaining 4 sets. For the good mornings I used 60 kg for all sets and felt great. Looking to bump this up each week going forward.

Tomorrow is a rest day, followed by the sandbag chipper on Thursday. Perhaps the most ambitious thing I’ve programmed in awhile, so we’ll see how it goes.

3 for 1

WOD 1 - 7:30 am:

Run 5k

WOD 2 - 4:00 pm:

Snatch - 3, 3, 3

Front Squat to Split Jerk - 3, 3, 3, 2, 2

WOD 3 – 11:00 pm:

Alternate Progression Ladder

Chest to Bar pullups and Burpees

Day 1 of my new program began early and with my mom in town things felt extra special. We got up just before 7, made a smoothie, then headed over to University Park for a run around the grounds. I was hoping that my ankles would feel like new, but alas, such was not the case. My left side was still giving me problems so I never pushed my speed much beyond 50%. But I still felt like this was productive since it’s been over a month since I’ve run that far. Hopefully this thing will continue to heal little by little. Mom did 2.5 km and then did pushups, squats, and burpees until I finished. What a machine.

After going to class and grabbing a quick nap, I met Niels over at Linacre College to try out their weightroom. It had been rumored that of all the colleges at Oxford this place had the best gym. As I have come to expect on this journey, “best” is a relative term. The positives: bumper plates, barbells, not crowded. The negatives: no dropping bars, low ceilings, small space. Overall, I’m ecstatic about this place because it at least gives me a place to go find some heavy weights consistently.

This afternoon was Niels’s first foray into Olympic weightlifting and my first with proper footwear. That’s right people, I have Oly shoes! Thanks to my boy Richard from Brussels, I have my very own pair of hand-me-down platforms and I’m ready to start breaking records. We took our time, getting Niels comfortable with the Snatch motion while I worked up in weight slowly. My first triple was at 80 kg. I felt a little wobbly, not real strong, and unfocused, but I got all three and decided a jump to 85 kg was the ticket. Not the ticket. I got the first, then missed the next two. I dropped to 80 kg, checked myself and adjusted a few things before getting back on the bar for the last set. These went up like butter. All three were dead solid perfect. The big improvement was my use of an audible cue between the first and second pull—something I learned in Holland and have recently forgotten about entirely. Finishing strong here was a lift heading into the front squats.

I began with 80 kg, wanting to start low enough to get all my sets. 90 kg felt fine as well. 100 kg was clean, but I could feel my wrists starting to fatigue. Not being able to drop the bar from overhead after the third repetition was bothering me. 110 kg I only got 2, fearing the 3^rd wouldn’t make it up. I stayed here and got 2 again for the last set. Walked out feeling decent, but a little weaker than I’d hoped. Chalking it up to being the first day back and setting myself up for big gains.

The final piece of the puzzle today came on our way home from the pub. I’d hoped to get this in beforehand, but time just ran away from mom and I as we walked around town this evening. After grabbing a beer with Niels at the Red Lion and chatting for a few hours, we headed towards the bus stop. Along the sidewalk there was one of Oxford’s many scaffolding setups just begging to be utilized. The plan had been to do an alternate progression with chest to bar pullups and burpees (odd minutes pullups/even minutes burpees), and the thick corrugated aluminum piping was the perfect height. Minus a few innocent bystanders this was incredible. So much fun. The night was cool, the bar was ROTATING, and I felt unstoppable on burpees. My mom was cheering me on and Niels was taking video like a monkey, climbing up and down the scaffolding. I finished 16 rounds plus 12 pullups before failing. I was clicking along unbroken until set 14, then the thick bar and its slight rotating tendencies caught up to me. I started doing singles and doubles, losing time every repetition. Still not a bad total.

First day in the books and I feel pretty good. A little stiff in the ankles and lower legs, but overall I’m optimistic. Also, I just received the video clips from the Regionals last weekend and will be working on those as well. Thanks again Mike!

9 weeks and counting

Not long until the Games in LA, and my rest week is over. Starting tomorrow I am taking on a very aggressive program that I have written over the past week which I will do my best to share each day. I intend to work hard for 3, then back off for 1, then repeat. It features an 8 day training week, of which 5 days are work and 3 days are rest. In those 5 days, I intend to do 2 endurance sessions, 3 strength sessions, and 4 metabolic conditioning sessions. To do this, I intend to train 3 x on Day 1, 1 x on Day 2, rest Day 3, 1 x on Day 4, rest Day 5, 2 x Day 6, 2 x Day 7, and rest Day 8. Every week will feature 3 sessions of 5/3/1, at least 2 outdoor WODs, a distance run, and a distance swim. This program is ambitious so I'm proceeding with cautious optimism. Plans are just plans until they go into effect, so we'll see how this experiment plays out.

European Regional WOD 5

5 round for time:

5 deadlifts @ 120 kg

20 burpees with lateral jump

How I dreaded this workout. 100 burpees with a jump over the bar to start each repetition just sounds long, unrhythmic, and not fun. Then throw in the deadlifts for your brief reprieve and you have something that nobody wants to do. Thankfully, my spot in the Games was not riding on this WOD so there was no real pressure to perform. Still, there was the bid for the top spot that Sven and I had been jockeying for all weekend and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t matter who won. Additionally, this workout felt like the type of WOD that I wouldn’t do on my own, meaning it was a challenge I would have to overcome mentally—always a good thing.

Sven and I took our places at the end of the track right alongside each other. It’s exciting to compete against your friends, especially when you know exactly where you stand. Having him next to me pushed me harder, didn’t let me quit, and ultimately made me better.

My strategy was to find a pace that I could maintain throughout the burpees. No sense in racing through them then taking 10 seconds between sets of deadlifts. The lateral jumping was awkward though, and it made it hard to find the right rhythm. The first set we were on the exact same tempo in fact. Our bars hit at the same time, our jumps were synchronous, and things looked like they’d stay that way all the way through. Somewhere in the middle of the second set of burpees I took a slight lead that I carried through to the 3^rd set of deadlifts. As I was finishing my 5^th he was midway through his 2^nd and I saw this as my opportunity to take control. I got straight into the burpees, hoping to send the message that I wasn’t tired... even though I was, in fact, very tired. I could hear a few guys down the row a few repetitions ahead of me as well, so I knew everyone else had juice to spare.

Towards the end of the 3^rd set I was starting to hate life. Here the crowd was crucial. People were screaming like maniacs and yelling at us to just keep moving. It helps, I'm telling you. During the 4^th set I wanted to do anything but keep throwing myself on the floor. I started to linger a little longer between repetitions, felt that sneaking feeling of self-loathing, and started wishing my way towards the finish. Then I sensed Sven picking up his pace and got a shot of fear-based adrenaline. The thought of crashing down the stretch in a WOD that boiled down to mental toughness was not something I wanted on my conscience. It reminded me of the final event back in Copenhagen. Not a happy memory.

Thinking about doing just one rep at a time got me through to my final set, and once the end was in sight I was able to close the door. I finished in 7:46, 4^th in the event behind a best time of 7:20. Sven came in :30 or so behind me to round out an amazing weekend where he finished every event 6^th or better. I found out soon after that Richard had gone gorilla and taken 2^nd with a smoldering time of 7:21. This performance allowed him to edge Mikko by a point for the final qualification spot. Major respect to him for showing up in crunch time.

So we were set. An American, an Icelander, and a Belgian representing Europe in LA; in addition to the Mr. Salo from Finland of course. Standing on the platform at the end I couldn’t have been more proud of the result, the experience, and the road I had taken to get there. More on that in the general wrap up later this weekend. Thanks again to Mads and the volunteer crew that made the event possible. Won’t soon forget it.