Mark's Training Blog and Other Random Thoughts

Fighting the Temptation

2010-03-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

The morning spread at my Seminar all three days...

This Paleo Challenge is definitely a challenge for me. When I am able to prepare my own food and eat it when I plan on eating, I have no problems sticking to paleo foods. The biggest challenge comes from having to figure out what to eat in a bind. Well, scratch that, the biggest challenge is not giving in to the temptation of all the foods I used to love (and still do). For example this week, I have been attending a seminar at the Hilton for the past two days and tomorrow as well. For breakfast they have the above along with all your favorite fruit juices. Fortunately, I had eaten a full breakfast and I was not hungry so I stuck to two cups of black coffee. Don't get me wrong, I was still tempted to have one of those delicious looking donuts but I stood strong, both days so far.

Lunch Tuesday was good cause they had chicken breasts and some mixed veggies that I could eat while most of the others chowed down on huge plates of lasagna and other pastas. Then to top it off they had delicous looking cake and cookies for desert. Still standing strong, I kept it to the fruit tray sitting next to the other deserts. Lunch today, was not as good. They had sandwiches and some broccoli salad. I took three sandwiches and ate the meat, lettuce and tomatoes only. Not very filling but if I took anymore sandwiches that might not look good to my managers. So I ended up having more of the broccoli salad and again some fruit for desert.

Still, the worst part of the whole food situation is the afternoon snacks. To help keep people awake they had cookies, candy bars, and all types of chips including my favorite kettle cooked jalapeno. Plus all the free pop you could drink all day long. Yet I stood strong and only had water and munched on some almonds I had in my car. But today I was ultra sleepy so I took a 5 hour energy shot to get me through the rest of the afternoon.

So I am proud of myself thus far (minus the wedding I went to on Saturday) because I have stuck to the paleo diet pretty well. One problem I have run in to is getting really sleepy in the afternoons but Ricky said I need to eat more, especially fats and throw in a little more protein. I am trying to do that so we shall see if that helps. I am also taking quite a bit of fish oil, 6 teaspoons a day of Carlson Labs liquid. I haven't seen a lot of changes in my performance yet but I am hoping next week will prove otherwise. I haven't been tracking my weight really cause the goal of this challenge is to see how your body composition changes of the course of the 7 weeks. However, I feel like I have lost some weight already and I feel great throughout most of the day.

Sorry for the lopng rambling post this time around. I have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time to write it all down. Perhaps I can try to post more often so I can get more of my thoughts down on paper.

Oh, one final thought. My copy of The Primal Blueprint came in the mail yesterday and I am excited to get to reading it, which is what I am going to do now.... see you next time.

Paleo Challenge

2010-03-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm, Delicious!

Hey guys! Miss me? It's been a long time since I have written on this blog but I want to get back to it for a couple of reasons. First, we are doing a Paleo Challenge at CrossFit Omaha for the next 7 weeks and I want to track my progress and discuss how the diet affects me and how eating certain things make me feel. I also want to get back to writing on here because writing forces me to think more and to articulate my thoughts so that other people can understand them.

As I said, we started a 50 day Paleo Challenge at CrossFit Omaha. There are about 30 to 40 of us participating and the goal is not to lose weight or to restrict what you want to eat. The goal really is to promote healthy eating habits. The reward of developing these habits is the ability to change your body composition to what you want it to be, whether that be losing fat, adding muscle, or whatever. The challenge only required two things from the participants: pictures and food logs. Each of us was required to take a before shot of our front, side and back at the beginning and we will have to do the same after the 50 days. We are also required to submit a food log to a yahoo group each week. That's it. We can eat and drink whatever we want just as long as we document it. The goal, though, is basically to only eat food that a cave man could have eaten. This means no processed anything, no artificial sweeteners, no grains, no dairy. That may sound pretty limiting, and I thought the same, but I am learning all new things to eat already. I may not crave the spinach salads that I have for lunch and I my mouth doesn't water when I think about steamed broccoli but I am learning to like these foods. And I can feel a difference in how I feel.

The hardest part is going to be giving up alcohol and I can tell you right now that I won't be able to give it up 100%. I have a wedding to go to on Saturday and I have my 3rd annual NFL draft party on April 22nd that I will have a few during. Besides that, I am going to try my hardest to abstain from any booze at all. I may falter, but hopefully not much and then jump right back on the Paleo wagon.

As for my blog, I plan on posting my progress with the diet as well as any good food ideas I stumble across. I also want to try to document how I feel when I eat healthy and when I falter. I am hoping that my performance during CrossFit workouts gets much better. And finally, when its all said and done, I hope the pictures tell a story of a successful undertaking.

Wish me luck!!

Playing the Field

2009-08-06T22:34:00.001-07:00

Rowing...

I wrote a while back about a budding new relationship that I had just gotten myself into and that I was excited to be a committed individual. Sparqs and I were having a great time together and things could not have been better between us, not to mention our great trip to Denver for the Rocky Mountain Regional back in May. But being the free spirit that I am, things started to go sour about a month ago. We’ve had a few fights and it’s been getting more and more physical. In fact, just last week we had a huge fight that left me in a nearly handicapped state.

So I decided it was a good time to take a break and see what else is out there. The only problem is, I am so damaged that when anything new comes along I have to make it known that running is off the table, at least for a little while. Typically, I did what all of us do after a break up. I went back to an old fling of mine that helped me through my last rough patch. Luckily my Vibrams were eager to jump right back to where we were before my Sparqs. We got together Wednesday and things went pretty well, although I had to substitute rowing for running. I think the Vibrams and I are probably going to hang out more in the next couple weeks. However, I do have a couple other options on the back burner that plan on using depending on the day. I’ve got my new Risto’s that I plan on using during mostly strength and O lift days and then I recently picked up some Saucony Progrid Omni’s that I plan on using when I am ready to run again.

I guess you could say that I am no longer a one pair type of guy. But I guess that’s what can happen when you get hurt. So for now I am just going to play the field, not committing to any one shoe and hopefully, one day, I can find that pair that has the perfect blend of style, comfort and stability that I need, that I want so very much to find.

Translation:

My arch problems have slowly been coming back and last Friday’s workout, July 31^st, strained something so much that I could barely put any weight on my left foot on Saturday morning. I had arch problems before so I wore the Vibram Five Finger shoes for a while and all my arch pain went away. There were two problems though, I hated running in them and they were getting rank from my sweaty feet. So I got the Sparqs and those worked great until a couple weeks ago when I could feel the pain coming back. So now I am going to go back to the Vibrams on days traditional metcons WODS, I am going to use my Risto’s when we have strength or heavy O lift days, and then my new Saucony’s for any WODs that includes running. I am going to refrain from running for another week, though, to let my foot heal a little.

I also am going to work more on soft tissue repair by stretching more often and for sure more myofascial release techniques. Hopefully I can fix this problem and with more soft tissue focus and the right pair of shoes. Cross you fingers for me!!

What the hell happened to me?!?

2009-07-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

While the title of this blog is the same as one of Adam Sandler's old albums, trust me when I say that I am not in any way referencing his hilarious CD. I am simply stating an obvious question... What the hell happened to me?

I don't know what it is but I haven't had any kind of energy lately. It seems like I am always tired. There are really only two times in the day that I feel awake and full of energy: between 10AM and about 3PM and then after 8PM. Otherwise I feel like I am in a constant state of drowsiness. I have especially been having a hard time getting motivated go to CrossFit. Even when I do go, I feel bogged down, like I can't even push myself half as hard as I used to. Something needs to change...

One thing that has contributed to this slump was some kind of bug I had for about 3-4 weeks. I had a terrible sore throat for a little over two weeks that progressed into a sore throat and cough that finally went away a few days ago. I don't know what it was but a couple people in my office had the same thing.

I can also attribute much of my lack of energy to my diet and lifestyle. It seems every weekend I have another reason to binge drink. Then I eat like crap and lounge around to recover. Then I skip going shopping for healthy food cause I am too tired. So the next couple days I eat out. The next thing I know, its the weekend again there's another wedding, bachelor party, work party or holiday that calls for excessive drinking. The worst part is, I don't see it ending any time soon. Every weekend in August has something on either Friday, Saturday or both...

Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun and I don't regret any of it. But it is starting to take more of a toll on me and it's time to try to get back on some kind of diet plan. I went to the grocery store last night for the first time in 3 weeks I ate pretty well today. Yay!! I also need to work on determining what I can do to keep full of energy all throughout the day and I supposed that has a lot to do with what and when I eat. Any tips?

But enough of the depressing talk, here's some pics some of my favorite times of the summer so far!!

Shots at the rehearsal dinner!

At Grant's wedding!

Tailgating at the CWS!

Limo for Dusty's bachelor party!

Lazy

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Front Squatting 165 during WOD 2 of the Rocky Mountain Regional

Man, I can't seem to find the motivation to write on here as often as I would like. I have every intention of posting on here almost every day but when I get home, I am usually pretty tired and would rather just relax then force my mind to try and articulate something deep and insightful, or at the least, something that will amuse anyone who reads it.

Ever since we got back from Denver all traces of a decent diet seem to have faded into the past. I continue to neglect going to the grocery store for the same reason I haven't been writing on here. That leaves me with the vending machine for breakfast and one of 8 different fast food places between work and my house for lunch. Although some good has come out of this. I feel as though my body knows what I am doing is wrong. At about 11:30 everyday when I start thinking about lunch I end up craving a chicken salad or just plain chicken with a side of veggies and fruit. Fast food doesn't really appeal to me as much as it used to but I continue to go because it is fast and convenient. I really need to just quit being so lazy and get to the store on a consistent basis. Maybe next week :)

The interesting thing is I have actually lost a couple pounds. For the past several months I have been about 183 - 185 pounds. But I weighed myself again yesterday and I was only 181. It really doesn't make much sense to me but maybe I was just eating too much before. I guess it could also be because all last week I did the CrossFit Football workouts which include strength and metcon WODs everyday. Whatever the reason, I'm not complaining, I want to drop another 5 or so pounds anyway. But perhaps when I get to the grocery store the next time, I can get back on a clean diet.

One thing I decided long ago was that I was going to stop using all supplements for the first month after the competition. I was taking both a pre and post workout shake and about 8 fish oil caps a day. Now all I take is a multivitamin. I want to get back to a "clean slate" where I can start over to see how different combinations of food and supplements affect me. I know that as soon as I get back to a regular diet I will probably start taking fish oil again. From there I plan on testing different pre and post workout "meals" to try to determine what works best for me in terms of energy before and recovery after. I am also going to play around with food timing to try and optimize my energy levels throughout the day. I tend to crash at least once a day, usually in the mid afternoon, and I want to fix that.

It's time to start thinking about next year's competition. I have a lot work to do to get where I want to be, but I have to start somewhere and I think my honing in on my diet is the best place to do that.

It's the F*cking Rocky Mountian Regional!!

2009-05-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

The announcement of Sunday's Workout!

Starting the Pull-ups on the 2nd workout. I'm in the red and black on the left.

So last weekend was possibly one of the greatest weekends of my life. All the hard work, all the blood sweat and tears finally paid off and CrossFit Omaha showed the CrossFit world what we're made of! We had 4 place in the top 10 for the guys and 2 place in the top 10 for the girls and we are sending 4 to the Games in Aromas in July! I just want to say congrats to everyone that competed this weekend and I can't be more proud to be a part of such an amazing gym.

As for me? Well I'm not going to lie, I was nervous as all hell to compete in front of all those people. Just looking around the area you could see all these crazy fit people and it was pretty intimidating. Then when your heat comes up you get to stand there, waiting, for what seems like forever, for the 3-2-1 Go! But once you hear that, nothing else matters. The crowd noise deafens, your heart rate skyrockets and all you can hear is your judge counting your reps and that little voice in your head screaming at you, telling you to stop.

The first workout was 3 rounds of: 300lb deadlift for 8 reps and a 400 meter run. My heat was at 11AM. I finished in 7:01 and I don't think I ever felt worse than I did for the next 45 minutes. My heart wouldn't slow down, my head was pounding and I felt dizzy. But an hour later, I was good to go. Workout 2 was 3 rounds of: 10 chest to bar pull-ups, 10 165lb front squats and 10 burpees. My heat was at 4PM. My time was 7:51. This was the only workout I was disappointed in my performance on. Front squats are a huge weakness of mine and ended up listening to that little voice in my head too much. The final workout for Sunday was 7000lbs from the ground to full overhead extension. I chose to lift 95lbs for 74 reps. I finished this workout in 7:42 and ended up snatching every rep. I'm not sure why, but in the middle of the workout I just had this thought that clean and jerking the weight would be tougher so I stuck with the snatch the whole time.

Overall I placed 52nd out of just over 100 male athletes that competed this weekend. I am very happy with how I did (except the 2nd workout) and I can't wait to start training for the next competition! All I need to do is get better, faster and stronger :)

Also, for everyone that took photos and videos, I think we should combine them all and put them on a CD to burn for anyone that wants a copy. What do you think?

Where did the time go?

2009-05-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a long time since I have posted anything here. My energy level has been lower recently and I think it is largely due to my diet. I have been eating better and more “zone-ish” with and emphasis on proteins and fats. Besides the occasional vending machine slip or an order of fries here and there I have been keeping my carbs to a minimum with only milk, a piece of fruit or two and about 3 blocks of veggies a day. The weekends have been a little different though. I have cut back dramatically on my drinking the past few months but I still tend to imbibe too much too often. There always seems to be some kind of event that involves drinking every weekend. Off the top of my head, I can think of almost a dozen this year already: Superbowl, Mardi Gras, Saint Patty’s Day, March Madness (multiple weekends), the NFL Draft, Borsheim’s Cocktail Reception, concerts, birthdays and graduations. Don’t forget about volleyball and softball where the majority of people drink when playing those too. So with all the temptation I face it’s hard not to give in. But like I said, I have cut back a lot from this time last year so at least I am moving in the right direction.

As for the competition coming up in just over 10 days, I feel I am in the best shape I have been in since I was in high school. There is a lot of room for improvement though and I have an idea of about how well I will do. So this year I am looking forward to the experience of the competition and also opportunity to watch some amazing athletes compete in a sport which I have become addicted to. I’m proud to have been able to train with some great athletes these past few months and I can’t wait to compete with you guys (and girls) in Denver!!

Best of luck to everyone!

Never Going Back - REVISED

2009-04-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we are just over 5 weeks away from the regional competition. With every day that goes by, it is becoming more and more real. I've known all along what we've been training for but I don't know if I really understood what I was getting myself into until recently. Training for the games isn't just about putting in your hours at the gym, it has to be a part of everything you do. What you eat and when you eat it, how much and what kind of sleep you get, stress from home and work, and especially your mindset when you walk in the gym all play a part in your training.

It's tough for me to put 100% of myself into the competition. My favorite foods have always been the ones that are the worst for you including white bread, heaps of pasta, beer and candy. My normal weekends usually consist of late nights at the bars and greasy foods to ease the hangovers. To top it off, work has been extremely stressful and no matter how much I accomplish it always seems I have just that much more to do.

Over the past few months I have dramatically changed my diet and my weekend life. But I still falter and indulge in things I wish I didn't, like the chocolate cup cake today or the jager bombs on Saturday. And I was thinking to myself why was I sacrificing all these things I love for the sake of a competition that I have no chance in placing in the top 5 for. In fact, there are 5 guys at CFO alone that I know can beat me. What's the point?

How about the fact that I am in the best shape of my life since I was in high school? How about the fact that I actually like eating things broccoli (with cheese of course)? Or what about how I genuinely feel healthier on a daily basis? I used to dread going to the gym now its one of the last things I think about before going to bed and it's on my mind all day at work. I even get a mild case of depression every time a rest day comes along and I fight my desire to go workout knowing I need to give my body at least some rest.

This competition started as a goal to get in the best shape I could possibly be in come May 17th, but it has transformed in to a new lifestyle. I am still going to kick my ass for the next 5 weeks to get in to the best shape I can for the competition, but there's no way I will ever go back to how I was before. And to put things in perspective, I found this picture I took about 4 months before I started CrossFit. I sure as hell don't want to go back to that. Wow....

A little before and after shot... still got some work to do but it's a world of a difference

RF #16: My favorite colors to workout in are black and red. Black because it is my favorite color and red, who knows why.

Another Step!

2009-04-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

On the last post I wrote about tackling your fear of the dark and scary basement, or in fitness terms, the fear of discomfort. Well I am proud to say today that I think I took another step towards the bottom. The last exercise of today's WOD for me was the wall balls and I chose 8 reps for each of the 8 rounds. By the fourth round I would have quit any other day but I pushed through. By the last round everything was getting a little foggy but I still pushed through and got my 8 reps. This was by far the furthest I have pushed myself in a metcon.

WOD: 4/1/2009
Tabata "Fight Gone Bad" -- no April Fools here
Wall Balls x 8 rounds
SDHP (2 pd KB) x 8
Box Jumps x 8
Push Press (75# bar) x 8
Row x 8

My rotation started with SDHP and ended on wall balls and my lowest for each exercise was 11,13,6,6,8 for a total of 44. I am disappointed about the push press because I only got 6 when I started out with 11. My technique was nearly non-existent as my back felt arched and I barely used any legs. Add that to the long list of things I need to work on...

According to most of the others, this was a tough WOD but not as bad as Fight Gone Bad itself. I am going to have to disagree. This was much tougher than I remember FGB being. But I guess I have to take in to fact that I only did FGB once and I probably didn't push as hard as I did today. I guess I'll never know until I do it again sometime... hopefully not soon though :)

On a side note, I decided that I am going to end all my posts with a random fact about myself.

RF #1: I am left-handed but right-footed. I can do some things with my right hand like bat and spike a volleyball, but watch me try to kick a ball left-footed and I might end up on the ground.

Why Didn't I?

2009-03-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's the beginning of round 4 and all I can think about is my burning lungs, my weakening muscles and the 3 full rounds I still have left to complete. As I pick up the dumbbells the two 'fitters next to me are already finished and hitting the run. 1-2-3-4-5, ok stop, legs tired, lungs can't keep up... rest is good, just a couple breaths and I'll get back to it.

Sound familiar? It does to me, almost like a broken record playing in my head. This one just happened to be playing on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, this WOD was another one of Ricky's "fun" little metcon concoctions and I worked my ass off to finish in the time that I did. But as I lay there panting and squirming on the ground I can't help but wonder, why didn't I push harder? Sets of three to five reps at a time on the last round? Seriously? It's the LAST ROUND!! Git 'er done!! What good are three rest breaths anyway? I'm still going to be gasping for air and now ten seconds slower.

Obviously we all have a limit to what our physical abilities can achieve, but I believe it is a lot higher than what most of us think it is. I believe that our minds hold us back because that is what we have trained them to do all our lives, to avoid discomfort in all possible scenarios. And that is exactly what a CrossFit workout puts our bodies right in the middle of. There comes a point in every WOD where you (by you, I mean me) CHOOSE to stop and rest knowing full well that you can still do another one, two or even ten more reps. Why? You're scared. The certain discomfort you will experience if you do just one more rep isn't worth it to you. Besides, after the rest you have to do the reps anyway, right? Wrong!

Let me ask you, what do think would yield better fitness results? 100 burpees that have to be completed in 8 minutes or less or 100 burpees that you must complete throughout the entire day? It's the same amount of reps, shouldn't both give you the same results? The obvious answer is no! I don't know much about the physiology of the body but I do know one thing. At rep 62 when your legs start feeling like jelly and your lungs are three breaths behind, yet you keep going, you are pushing your entire body past the point of discomfort. And it is only at this point that you can achieve anything more than mediocre results.

I want more than mediocre results and I know you probably do to. The trick is learning how to be stronger than that fear of discomfort. It's kind of like being scared of the dark basement, each stair you take gets you closer to the scary figure in the corner. And when you finally reach the bottom, there wasn't a monster waiting to take you was there? Well I am on the second stair and every hair on my body is standing on end. Hopefully tomorrow I can muster up the courage to take another step and maybe someday I will get to the bottom and realize there was nothing to be scared about after all.

Holy Hell!!

2009-03-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

That's really all I can say about what the previous two days' WODs have been on my legs. And after yesterday, it felt like my legs could give out with every step I took for the first full hour after the workout. Let me show you why:

WOD 3/25/09
7 rounds for time of:
15 ball cleans (20#)
15 CTB pull-ups
17:49

WOD 3/26/09
8 rounds:
250 meter row under 50 seconds
1:30 rest between rounds
My times were - 46.6, 46.7, 46.9, 49.5, 49.9, 50.8, 50.6, 49.5

The first WOD included a total of 210 squats since each ball clean has two squats. I tried to power through the muscle fatigue and I kept pretty consistent but had to break up almost every round. The yesterday was rowing. I was pretty psyched for this since rowing is becoming one of my strengths. Well apparently not yesterday. I went hard but not all out on the first three to try to conserve my energy. Then on the 4th I hit a wall on the last 100 meters. My legs were thrashed already... I was screwed. The next two rounds I tried using my arms more cause my legs were done and I ended up going over 50 seconds. Luckily, it was "decided" earlier in the day that as long as the time wasn't 51 or higher you were ok. On the last row I just closed my eyes and pushed as hard as I could. I literally had nothing left in my legs. I flopped down on the floor and laid there for a couple minutes trying to find a comfortable position for my legs. Apparently there is no such position in that situation. It probably looked funny to anyone who was watching because I was pretty much laying on the floor squirming around like a child with ADD forced to take a nap.

How am I today you may ask? Sore as F**K!!

As for my little experiment I am doing, I haven't seen much of anything in terms of results or side effects yet. After the first two days my carb cravings went away for the most part. After three days I started getting tired of eating meat, cheese and nuts. And now, after five days, I don't feel any different than I did this time last Friday. I weighed myself this morning and I haven't even lost any weight. Granted I haven't gone through the weekend yet, which is where I would usually consume about a case of beer in two days. So I guess today and tomorrow are going to be the real tests. Can I make it through without drinking a single beer? And if so, will it really bring on any results?

Depending on how this weekend goes, I might add some more carbs to my diet next week. I'm thinking about adding something like an apple or orange in the morning, some broccoli for lunch and a mix of salad greens for dinner. I am still going to stay away from grains and beer though. And if the whole not drinking doesn't prove to ruin my social life on the weekends, I might extend that part of the experiment even further. It should be interesting...

A Little Experiment

2009-03-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

You can just call me Mr. Guinea Pig for the next two weeks because I am attempting a little experiment with my diet. Two weeks, virtually no carbs. And here’s why:

When I first started CrossFit I probably lost 15-20 pounds of body fat in the first 4 months. Obviously results like that cannot be sustained for an extended period of time, and for the last 6 months I haven’t had the same results. I have made massive gains in strength and in my metabolic conditioning but I can’t shake this whole beer belly thing I go going on around my mid section. I have been training harder and eating better but it’s still here. Then this huge revelation came over me… what happens when you drink massive quantities of beer on a consistent basis? Oh wait, is that why it’s called a beer belly?

So I decided to speed up the elimination process and give up virtually all carbs for two weeks. That means no chocolate, no bread, no fruits, no veggies and especially no beer. So pretty much all the things I love. My one exception and my only vice for the next two weeks is milk. There are carbs in Milk but I don’t think I can go without it for two weeks.

I started the diet yesterday and it has already been tough. I was hung over from going out Saturday night and I had to refrain from consuming all my normal comfort foods like Arby’s or Fazolis. Today was a little easier but I did have a constant desire to stuff my face with any carb I could find. Luckily I made it through and supposedly the first two days are the hardest. I don’t know how it is going to effect my training but I am hoping that even if my performance falters for the next two weeks it’ll be worth it in the end. Hopefully I am able to shed some of the LB’s my 12 ounce friends have left me with and my performance goes up because of that.

Well I weighed myself this morning and I rang in at 179#. My goal is 170. Will this experiment work? Only time will tell.

New Shoes!!

2009-03-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Before you get the wrong idea, let me make one thing clear. I love my Vibram Five Fingers, I do, but as of late, it seems as though the three of us are growing apart. I would say it's me but that would be a lie. It seems like I have been trying so hard to make things work and no matter what I do things just keep getting worse. And as of late I noticed that my eyes have been straying towards other footwear more and more. Yesterday I even went out looking for something to fill the void I have been feeling. In an ill advised move, I decided on a spur of the moment to head to the store by myself. So there I was, without a wing man, trying to figure out what it is I really want in life. Here on one hand I have this amazing pair of shoes that I've had a great time with and on the other, the possibility of having anything I want. I was in a pickle. But life has taught me that should never make decisions under that kind of pressure nor with out advice from someone you trust. So I just went home empty-handed. Then today I went out with my brother and after a few failed attempts I think I found a pair that I could really see a future with. I'm really excited but nervous all at the same time. I still haven't worked out in them yet and I am hoping that once we finally do get to that point I am hoping that my performance is up to par. Wish me luck!!

But seriously, the Vibrams were awesome to work out in and they all but cured my arch problems I was having. I would recommend them to anyone. However, I hated running in them and there was just one other small thing that I couldn't get over, the smell. I have naturally sweats palms and feet and once you combine a couple months of sweaty feet with a rubber insole you get well, something bad. I tried everything from washing, to febeezing, to freezing, to baking soda and vinegar. Nothing seemed to work. So I found these new shoes, Nike Sparqs. They are a minimalist type of shoe so I am hoping they work for me. And I hope they don't bring back my arch problems.

If everything works out the way I think it can, this could be it for me. I could officially take my self off the market and commit to one pair... at least for a little while :)

Good Times! Good Times!!

2009-03-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a fun day. It was sort of like recess in a way where we were all just messing around seeing what our last couple months of training has accomplished. I attempted max pull-ups and got 36 before my grip gave, I tried weight push-ups and was able to get 12 reps with 99# on my back, and then I played around with handstand walks and holds. It was a fun day and a nice sort of rest style day while attempting some fun performance feats. Next time, 50 pull-ups and 135# weighted push-ups...

I am excited because I am getting my diet back in order and I am feeling a lot better throughout the day. And looking forward to tomorrow's WOD I am pumped and can't wait for 5:30. Tomorrow's metcon includes middle-weight thrusters which addresses my glaring weakness I discussed in my last post. Hopefully the work day flies by!

It's interesting to see how much CrossFit has become a part of my life. At first it was just a great workout. Then it became a fun competition between colleagues. You start getting to know the people work out with and instead of feeling like going to the gym, its like going to hang out with your friends. Soon you start talking about the day's WOD to pretty much everyone. They don't understand what the obsession is until they try it and suddenly they find it is a great workout, then a fun competition, and before you know it, they are talking to everyone about the day's WOD. And I get to say, I told you so.

So here's to many more I told you so's!!

A couple new PRs and one very apparent weakness.

2009-03-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Working on some weighted push-ups
I stole this from Megan. Thanks for the great pic Megan!!

I have grown to love strength days, I feel that I get more out of them than when we do metcon WODs. Today was no exception. We did deadlifts, front squats and strict shoulder presses and I set two new PRs. Two new PRs even though I was extremely sore still from Saturday's run in with "Grapplers Tabata." My quads we on fire, my shoulders and upper back were stiff, and pretty much my whole body was not happy with me. So when I got to the gym I used the roller to try and work out some kinks.

First was the deadlift. We were supposed to work on sets of one up to our previous max and then try to set a new PR. My old PR was 401 and I was confident I could beat that tonight. I was working with Neil and our last working set was with 396. We jumped to 411 for our PR attempt. I actually had no problem lifting the weight off the ground although my form was horrible. The only time I struggled was finishing the lift at the top but I was able to get it. I actually think I could have gone heavier but I was happy with that. For the shoulder press my 1 rep max was 160 and we were doing sets of 4. My goal was 145 but I was feeling confident and tried 150. The first three went well and I struggled with the last but I got it. So two new PRs in one night!!

Then comes my weakness. I just don't understand how I can deadlift over 400 and I can barely break 200 for a front squat. I struggled a lot and just barely got up 213 two times. I desperately need to address this problem. Not only can I not squat much weight, but this also affects my ability to clean, jerk, snatch or thruster heavy weight. Looks like I need to focus more energy on improving my leg strength.

On a side note, I am extremely happy for everyone at the gym tonight who set new personal records and I can't believe how much our group has improved in just a couple months. I am looking forward to the next two months of training and I can't wait for us to show the rest of the CrossFit world what CFO is all about!!!

A Little Vacation Never Hurt Anybody...

2009-03-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

...especially me. This was a much needed break from everything. For the past few months it feels like I have been floating through the weeks waiting for the weekends to come so I can unwind and let loose. Work has been crazy for the last two months. I was promoted this past year and January and February are extremely busy and stressful for my new position and I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. My job required me to do things I had no idea how to do and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out even the smallest detail. I am unbelievably relieved to have made it through.

Then there's CrossFit. CrossFit has been both mentally and physically demanding and a much needed outlet for the stresses of work. However, it has also been a point of an internal struggle for me. I think this was epitomized by my no-show the morning of the CrossFit Regional Games registration. I knew this day was coming and instead of staying in and getting a good night’s rest, I went out with my friends and stayed up all night drinking. Because of that I was the only person who didn’t get registered before all the spots filled up. Then it hit me, the realization that I missed out on something that I was actually really excited about. I was so mad at myself. Luckily I was given a second chance when they opened more spots and I jumped at the opportunity. Ever since then I have been getting better with my diet and I have become more serious with my training. But I still have been “enjoying” my weekends too much and I know that is keeping me from achieving better results in my training.

That’s where this vacation comes in to play. This was literally 5 days of drinking with a couple days of skiing mixed in somewhere. I loved every minute of it. This was a much needed recharge away from everything. Now, hopefully I can focus more at work and that I don’t just float through the weeks anymore. I know I am not going to be able to give up my weekend night life but I know I can tone it down and start focusing on being more healthy so I can perform as well as I possibly can at the regional games.

So here’s to a great vacation with some of my greatest friends. Let’s hope I didn’t lose too much ground in my training by eating horribly, drinking heavily and sleeping sparsely.

So Close...

2009-02-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

Mine doesn't have a bow though

Today was exactly the type of workout that I love; heavy metcons. I was pumped to do it when I read it this morning and I couldn't wait until 5:30. Then I talked to some of the people who had already done the workout and I got a little nervous. Jello for legs and a lower back that felt like someone was pushing the end of a baseball bat in it. Great, I have weak legs to begin with and we all know about my problem keeping my back straight in deadlifts and cleans. I all about psyched myself out before we even started warming up. But then I started warming up on the cleans and they seemed to go pretty well. Ricky even gave me a tip to keep more of my hand on the bar so the press was easier to transition to at the top. I tried it with 132# and it felt awkward because it felt like the bar wasn't really resting on my shoulders on the catch. But, when I went up to 154# the heavier weight forced the bar down and then the hand position really helped (thanks Ricky!).

For me the hardest part of the WOD was squatting up out of the clean but that wasn't a surprise. My legs did feel like jello during the runs and my lower back was killing me the last two rounds so no one was lying about that. I pushed through all that and finished third tonight behind Stacy (who has been killing every WOD) and Neil. I finished in 10:04, just four seconds after my goal I thought was a bit unrealisitc. Two rest breaths short of a goal I would never have thought possible a short few months ago.

WOD:
5 rounds for time:
155 lb Clean & Jerk, 5 reps
200 meter run
Rx'd in 10:04

I think I am progressing well, especially with the format we have been doing the past month or so. Upper body strength has always been a, well, strength of mine but my legs continue to be a big weakness; probably a result of my my old workout style in which I had one "leg day" a week and partly because of my knee injuries. Maybe I just need to do some kind of leg work after every other WOD so I can stop complaining about it finally :)

On a side note, I went shopping with my Mom tonight to get some plants for around my house. She has been trying to get me interested in them for a while so I figured I would give it a shot. I have never been a plant lover so I was looking for some plants that I thought were cool but we also pretty low maintenance. I think I did pretty well in achieving that. And actually, the plant I put on my desk in my office at made me smile when I walked in to write this. It's a Bromeliad with a cool red leaf / flower thing coming up from the center of it (similar to the one up top). Who knows, if I don't end up killing the ones I got tonight, I might just become a plant guy afterall.

New PRs

2009-02-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

I missed the first strength day of this cycle due to work (again...) but the other two days were pretty successful. Sunday was split jerk and deadlift. My previous PR was 208# and I knew I could beat that. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling the greatest due to a late night filled with bad decisions :) However, I was able to put up 218# and I just missed on 228#. For the deadlift I worked up to 374# x 3 reps which was also a PR. Today we did one rep max hang power snatches. I don't remember what my last max was but I know that I beat it tonight. I struggled with 142# for several tries but I finally started getting it and was able to sloppily put up 154# on my last attempt.

Tomorrow is a rest day but I think I am going to go in anyway since I will be gone Saturday through Wednesday. I am going up to Breckenridge with some of my good friends for pretty much a last spring break trip with "the guys." I am really looking forward to the trip because we all get along really well and its a pretty good group of guys to be stuck with for 120 hours. This is actually the 4th time we have gone on this trip (some guys have gone every time, some not) so we are all fairly decent skiers. I am more careful (they call it slow, ha!) because I blew out my knee in the second year. The third year my knee held up fine but then I hurt it again last February while moshing at a concert. So it looks like I am going to have to be careful (slow) again this time so I don't ruin my chances of competing in Denver. Its going to be a weekend of little sleep, lots of leg work and hundreds of 12 ounce curls. I can't wait!!

2009-02-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

Neil and I rowing while Addi recovers

Today's WOD was n0thing new or flashy, just 5 quick 500m sprints on the C2 rower: 5 all out, leave nothing behind 500m sprints on the rower, yeah... These were tough. After the first one my hamstrings were on fire, a side effect of yesterdays deadlifts I am guessing. The second was my slowest time because I was playing around with the resistance setting on the rower and I didn't like the one I used this round. The last three rounds were pretty consistent and I am happy with my performance. I'm thinking that with some more work these could become a strength of mine!

5 x 500m rows
1:37.2 (5)
1:41.2 (3)
1:40.4 (7)
1:41.1 (6)
1:40.3 (7)

The number in parenthesis is the level I had the rower set to.

On a side note :) I was thinking the today about one of the first things I remember from what Ricky and Joe told me about fitness. But before I get to that, I'm going to tell you a quick story.

Ever since I can remember, most of my motivation for working out was to "get ripped so I could get the ladies, oh yeah," so pretty much the same as reason 90% of the other guys you see at the gym. My version of working out included chest and biceps one day, back and triceps another and so on. I might throw in some treadmill work from time to time too. I was making strength gains, but at a slow pace ans I was getting bored.

Finally my Dad convinced me to check out CrossFit. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. In less than a year I have gone from 190 pounds and about 20% body fat to 180 pounds and around 12% body fat. I am stronger than I have ever been, I am eating much healthier and I genuinely feel better throughout the day. Which brings me back to what I first remember hearing about fitness from Joe and Ricky. They said that if you want the body of an athlete, then you have to train like one. Now, I am no where near where I want to be in terms of fitness but I am closer than I have ever been. I now look forward to every workout no matter how hard it looks. And my main motivation is no longer about getting ripped but about improving myself in all areas of fitness. I even eat better so I can perform better. The ironic thing is that "ripped" look I always wanted is becoming (not there yet) a side effect of my CrossFit training. Now if I could just find a way to get all the ladies ;)

My Strengths

2009-02-17T20:07:00.001-08:00

During the last metcon cycle we had a WOD that I thought should have been called "I Hate Mark" because it contained high rep legs exercises which are my nemesis. Well today was a workout that I felt was almost geared to my strengths. It was deadlifts and push-ups, both exercises I am pretty confident with. I started running out of strength on the push-ups but it didn't slow me down too much. I was pretty sure that I was right on the heals of both Alison and Brandon but they both called time as I was finishing my 9th round. Maybe it was my 10th round but I thought I had one more so I did it. Metcon #1 this week:

10 rounds
135 lb deadlifts - 15 reps
15 push-ups
Rx'd in 12:22

As for my diet, I haven't been very stringent about portions but I have been eating a good breakfast every morning and I am taking a protein and carb combination shake after I workout. Throughout the rest of the day I try to eat healthily and portion closely to Zone standards. Today I felt great prior to and during the workout and I think my diet played a big part of that. My body needs more of the grain style carbs and I can tell a difference when I eat them. I have never really paid attention to how what I eat affects how I feel and perform but now that I am it is interesting to see how much of a role it actually plays. Hopefully I can keep learning more and continually change until I find what works the best for me.

On a side note (by the way, I am a big fan of side notes), I have been playing volleyball at Digz for the past few years and I can tell a dramatic difference in my game since I started CrossFit. I am quicker, I can jump higher, hit the ball harder and overall I just feel like I am a better player. So, another area of life, outside the gym, that CrossFit has positively affected my life.

Thanks Ricky and Joe!!

Catching Up

2009-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

The latest three days of strength were pretty good. Friday Ricky and Joe were closing the gym at 3PM because of the snow so I was mad cause I was probably going to have to miss Saturday due to work. But, my work closed at 1Pm on Friday so I went in at 2PM and worked out with Joe C and Ben. Then on Saturday I was able to get out of work in time to make it to the noon class!! And I went in for the noon class on Sunday so I was able to get all three strength days in. Here is what I did:

Friday
Power Clean: 174 lbs x2
Front Squat: 194 lbs 4

Saturday
Push Press: 184 lbs x2, 198 x 1
Deadlift: 340 x 5

Sunday
Box jump over 5 reds then on top of 24 inch box and 5 reds ( I think?)
Power Snatch: 132 lbs x2

Today was a rest day and I am looking forward to some tough metcons for the next 3 days.

Ahhhhh, Rest!!!

2009-02-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

As today rounded out the last day of our first cycle of metcons, I can't help but be glad tomorrow is a rest day. All three WODs have been physically and mentally demanding in completely different ways. I can say with 90% certainty that if tomorrow wasn't a rest day, I would take one anyway. I guess that's probably the point of the programming though.

I have nearly finished my book and I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do with my diet for the next few weeks. Dr. Willey calls it the Isocaloric Diet, which pretty much means eating the same amount of calories from carbs, protein and fats. Sound familiar? It is very similar to the Zone Diet which is why I am going to still use my Zone prescription but instead of eating the same amount of blocks from each for every meal or snack, I am going to experiment with the timing of each type. The majority of my carb intake will be breakfast and the two hour window around my workouts. The rest of the day I am going to focus more on protein and fats along with eating "free"carbs, or "favorable" carbs as the Zone calls them.

As for my workouts yesterday and today, I feel pretty good about them. I am no where near where I want to be but I can tell that I am making progress. Tuesday was a heavy metcon, which are my favorite workouts, and I was pretty excited to see how I could perform. I wanted to get 7 full rounds completed but I fell short by 2/3 of a round. Today was my nemesis, high rep with lots of legs in a metcon. I was shooting for under 20 minutes and missed but I am happy that I was able to keep my breath and I was able to push the limit a little further finishing this WOD.

Tuesday (2/10/09):
AMRAP in 20 of
2 rope climbs
4 thrusters (154 lbs)
6 box jumps (36 in)
I completed 6 full rounds, 2 climbs and 1 thruster

Wednesday (2/11/09):
3 rounds for time
50 SDLHP (65 lbs)
50 burpees
Time: 21:22

It's Been Awhile...

2009-02-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while partly because I am lazy and partly because I haven't been impressed with my training as of late. I experimented with the Zone diet for a little over 2 weeks and I felt great throughout the day; I wasn't tired and I was able to think clearly all day long, but when it came time to workout, my energy level wasn't really there. I wasn't tired but I wasn't "psyched up" to workout. And as a result, I had decent workouts but nothing spectacular.

For the past week and a half I haven't stuck to any type of diet plan and for the past week and a half my energy levels have had many peaks and valleys. My ability to concentrate, especially at work, varies throughout the day. I never really feel great but I don't feel bad either. However, I have had more energy when I get to the gym and I feel more ready to compete in each day's WOD.

This paradigm has driven me to learn more about how diet affects us both throughout the day and while working out. Over the past month I have seen how much your diet can affect everything you do and I want to find, not only what works best for me, but something I can actually stick to. Early last week I started reading a book I bought about a year ago but never finished called "Better Than Steroids" by Dr. Warren Willey. The book is geared more towards nutrition for body builders but the concept is basically the same for anyone who wants to burn fat and build lean mass. It also follows closely to the Zone in terms of type and quantity of food. What interests me the most so far is the food timing aspect of diet. Dr. Willey spends several chapters discussing the importance of what you eat and when, and how controlling your insulin levels is key in performance gains.

I haven't finished the book yet but I plan on finishing it this week and starting my new diet plan on Monday. The two meals I will be focusing on the most will be my breakfast and my post workout meal / shake. These are the two times in the day when your body needs the most nutrients. I hope that by dialing in on these, as well as eating healthily throughout the rest of the day, my energy levels will no longer peak nor valley, but I will also have the "psyched up" feeling I need when working out.

Where You Find Weakness, You Find Room for Improvement

2009-01-21T19:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday: day 1 of the next ".com" cycle. The workout was:

Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps

We switched to regular sit-ups with an abmat though because there were too many of us and glute-ham sit-ups are much tougher. I finished in 24:13. I was pretty happy with this workout because running is my biggest weakness so I took it pretty easy on the runs but the sit-ups weren't too tough and my deadlift is definitely improving.

Today we did:

15 Handstand push-ups
1 L Pull-up
13 Handstand push-ups
3 L Pull-ups
11 Handstand push-ups
5 L Pull-ups
9 Handstand push-ups
7 L Pull-ups
7 Handstand push-ups
9 L Pull-ups
5 Handstand push-ups
11 L Pull-ups
3 Handstand push-ups
13 L Pull-ups
1 Handstand push-up
15 L Pull-ups

I finished, as Rx'd in 22:something. The handstand push-ups were great and I didn't have much of a problem with them. The L pull-ups, on the other hand, were horrible. For those who don't know, an L pull-up is where you lift your legs to a 90 degree angle to the rest of your body and perform a strict pull-up. I had to kip a bit to get my legs high enough on most of my reps and I doubt, that in a competition, much more than half of them would have counted; chalk those up as another weakness I need to work on.

Outside of CrossFit I have decided to take on a personal challenge. It has always been a goal of mine to be able to do 100 consecutive push-ups and I found a site that give you a 6 week program to get there. I started on Monday with a max of 37, I could have done a few more but I gave in too early. Nevertheless, that is my base line and I am excited to see my improvement.

On a dietary note, I have been pretty good about sticking close to the Zone so far this week. And if you take away the small bowl of ice cream the past few nights, I have stayed away from sugar too. My meals for tomorrow and Friday are already planned and Saturday is going to be my "off" day. All I am hoping for is for the will and the desire to not drink a lot if I go out. Wish me luck!!

I Hate Running

2009-01-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Friday was the start of the next cycle of CrossFit mainsite WODs and I was excited to get back to hitting it hard after taking a rest day Thursday. I was pretty nervous for Friday's workout because there were a lot of reps and some pretty big weaknesses of mine all tied together in a brutal workout. It was,

For time:
10 GHD Sit-ups
10 Hip & Back Extensions
95 pound Thrusters, 30 reps
50 Pull-ups

30 GHD Sit-ups
30 Hip & Back Extensions
95 pound Thrusters, 20 reps
35 Pull-ups

50 GHD Sit-ups
50 Hip & Back Extensions
95 pound Thrusters, 10 reps
20 Pull-ups

The GHD situps were killer and the last 50 took me forever to do. I ended up not finishing (DNF) in the 25 minute time limit Ricky gave us. All I had left were the last thrusters and pull-ups though.

Saturday we were supposed to run a 10k. I don't think I have ever run a 10k and I can't even remember the last time I ran even a mile. I am terrible at running, I get shin splints easily and my arches start to hurt after awhile. I know a lot of it has to do with my old ass shoes but I don't want to get new ones cause I want to train to use my five finger shoes. BUt you have to slowly ease into running with them otherwise you can easily overtrain and end up starting all over. So on Saturday I ran about 2.5 to 3 miles with a couple people from the gym. It wasn't too bad but my shins were starting to hurt and my calves we on fire the whole next day.

Sunday we did full squat cleans and I got to 208 pounds. It is a PR for me but I know I should be able to lift more. I just need to continue to work on my technique.

Today was another rest day so I am excited to hit it hard again tomorrow. The WOD looks tough but I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Week 2: Struggling a Bit

2009-01-12T20:25:00.001-08:00

I started last week by shopping for my Monday - Saturday meals. Sunday night I prepared a bunch of things so I could make breakfast and lunch fairly easily. Monday I dove right in and started Zoning. This wasn't the greatest idea since my body wasn't used to that much food, especially broccoli. Tuesday I felt like I had a minor fever and had an uneasy stomach all day. Needless to say I didn't eat any more broccoli last week. The rest of the week I kept pretty close to my Zone guidelines but I decided it would be best to ease into it. This weekend was bad though. I had a wedding on Saturday and had no food at home on Sunday so I ate out twice. Plus, I still haven't gone shopping this week. I really need to make sure I go tomorrow.

In terms of training, last week was pretty good. I set a bunch of new PR's in some of my strength lifts and I learned that I need a lot of work on my technique on some of the other. And since we had 5 straight days of strength, we took the weekend off to rest up for today.... Today we started following the main site workouts. In order for us to be able to compete with the top atheltes in our region we are going to have to step it up in terms of load and intensity and the ".com" workouts are the best way to do so.

Our group that is training for the regional qualifier for the CrossFit Games is going to be put through some pretty rough times. I'm nervous as hell for what each day's WOD is going to be and I worry that I won't be able to stay on top of my nutrition plan, but I get excited just thinking about competing! I know that the desire to be the best that I can be will motivate me to eat right and push myself to the limits of my physical capacity. And to help keep myself accountable I am going to make an active effort to write here at least 4 times a week about my progress.

Day 1: The Start of Something Great

2009-01-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

I have been debating it for a while and I finally decided this weekend that I was going to train to compete in the CrossFit regionals in Denver this May. I am relatively new to CrossFit (7 months) and I have never been in a competition that is as taxing to your mind and your body as CrossFit is, and that scares the crap out of me. But then I realized that it doesn't matter if I come in first or if I come in last at the games, as long as I put my heart, blood, sweat and tears all in. Now I have a clear cut goal, a couple of great coaches and an amazing group of athletes all working together towards elite fitness. No body can stop us!

Today was Day 1: my first day of being in the Zone (even though I cheated because a co-worker brought in home-made cherry cheesecake, but I only had a small piece) and the first of 5 strength days at CrossFit Omaha. Today was back squats - 3 rep max. I built up to 262 pounds (PR) and barely got through the second rep, but with Ricky and the others encouraging me, I pushed through on the third. I am starting to sense where I would normally give up when it comes to strength days and I was able to push through that point today. I hope I can soon get to that point with MetCon workouts too.

Great Day 1 - definitely looking forward to tomorrow!

400 Club

2008-11-19T21:07:00.001-08:00

Today was a workout that I have been wanting to do for a couple weeks now and I was glad to see it on the blog last night. We did 10 rounds of 1 rep deadlifts with the goal of setting a new 1 rep max weight PR. I have never done 1 rep max deadlifts but about 2 months ago we did 5 rep max and I was able to get to 308 pounds. So today I started with the goal of hitting 350.

I did: 174-194-218-242-264-284-308-328-352-374-384-401

I used 12 rounds to get there but I decided after 10 rounds I wanted to try to go a little heavier. I struggled with 384 and I decided to call it a night but a couple of the guys convinced me to try get in to the 400 club, a newly created achievement club for CrossFitters here in Omaha.

Yesterday I wasn't able to make it in to CrossFit due to a conflict with work. My CFO is in town for the week and he wanted to take some of the accounting department out to dinner. I look up to him so much and I have a great deal of respect for him so this was an opportunity for me to be around him in a social setting. The meal was great and the conversation was, for the most part, not work related. Sure I missed a day of CrossFit and volleyball but I am glad I was able to be there. I hope to work with him more in the future so I can learn from him and, hopefully some day, be as successful as him.

What is Talent?

2008-11-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Today I was sent an article to read entitled "Why Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin. It is an article that hit pretty close to home with me because I have never been overly talented at anything. Don't get me wrong, I am good at many things, but I have never had an innate ability to be great at any one thing.

When I was young I took martial arts. I went to class and I practiced from time to time and I became very good, a black belt, in fact. But I had many weaknesses that others did not. Then in high school, I joined the diving team because I was really good at doing tricks on a big trampoline. Once again I practiced everyday with the team and I became very good. I made state all fours years, I had the highest degree of difficulty of anyone in Nebraska and I was one dive away from possibly being state champ my senior year. But I wasn't the best, probably not even close to it. Was I just not talented enough?

Talent is an interesting topic. Obviously those individuals who have an innate ability to do something well have an advantage over those who do not. But in this article Geoff Colvin explains that talent does not necessarily translate in to greatness, and even those with no talent at all, have the potential to be great. What explains those who attain high achievement, he says, is deliberate practice. Deliberate practice meaning signaling out your weaknesses and striving to make them better. It means consistently stepping out of your comfort zone and pushing the limits of your body and mind. It's taxing, it's brutal and it's never ending. But it has to be, because if it were easy, then everyone would be great and if everyone was great, then we would all just be normal.

Why this article hit so close to home for me is because I know how great I could have been at martial arts. I knew I could be much better if I practiced more at home or if I spent time visualizing my techniques instead of playing video games. I know I could have been an even better diver. But again, I never gave myself fully to the sport and I always came up one dive short.

It was the same with my school work. I went to class and did the homework, but I never truly tried to learn a lot of what I was going to school for. Success to me was an A in the class, not the knowledge I should have been gaining. This article opened my eyes to the way I have been going about my life. I have always thought of myself as someone who can achieve great things but up until this point I haven't put in the work greatness demands. Now it's time to stop thinking and start doing.

It's going to be a long road of small steps but I know I have do it if I ever want to be great.

No Hand Rips!!!

2008-07-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

WOD: 7/10/08
Ten rounds for time of:
10 Pull-ups
20 Sit-ups
30 Air Squats

I was really excited and worried at the same time for this workout. Excited because I wanted to try my new butterfly technique on the pull-ups and worried because it was going to be 100 total pull-ups and a hand rip seemed very likely. Luckily for me, Ricky had some special tape he wrapped my bad hand in and I was pretty solid from there. The only problem left was the fact that we now have a new pull-up standard. No longer is getting your chin above the bar good enough, we now have to touch our chest to the bar for it to be a non-scaled pull-up. This put a damper on my ability to do the butterfly kips.

As for my total time; I actually DNF in the 25 minutes we were given. I got through 10 pull-ups on round 10 before time was called. I took too many break, mostly with the pull-ups to rest my hands. I am disappointed that I didn't finish but I am very happy my hands made it through! Hopefully they are just getting stronger and stronger so eventually they won't tear at all anymore.

On a sad note, I won't be at CrossFit until next Wednesday and more likely Thursday of next week. I am going to San Francisco this weekend and I don't get back until midnight Tuesday and then I am going to have to mow on Wednesday. Hopefully I am able to do something in San Fran, perhaps even a WOD or two if possible.

Shoulder Presses

2008-07-10T05:36:00.001-07:00

WOD: 7/9/08
Press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push Press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

The object of this workout was to find your 1 rep max with strict shoulder presses by starting at a lower weight and working up through the 5 rounds. After that you would go back to your original weight and perform the push presses with 3 reps and build up to your previous 1 rep max. And finally you would start again except with the push jerk and do 5 reps per round. Below is what I lifted:

Press: Push Press: Push Jerk:
105# 105# 110#
115# 115# 120#
125# 125# 130#
135# 135# 140#
145# PR 145# 150#

I was happy to get a new PR with my 1 rep max shoulder press but I only beat it by 5#. The push presses were pretty easy and I only struggled on the last round. On the push jerks we switched to bumper plates so we could drop them if we needed which is why I was 5# higher each round. Good workout overall and I hope to get another PR next time!!

Hang Power Snatches

2008-07-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

WOD: 7/8/08
Rest Day

This was actually an official rest day but since I hadn't worked out in 4 days I needed to go in and do something. Ricky had us work on our snatch technique. In my opinion, the snatch is one of the hardest and most technical of the Olympic lifts. Last time we did this lift I believe I got to 88# and that was it. This time I got to 110# but it wasn't pretty. I definitely still need a lot of work on the snatch.

I Hate Double Unders!!

2008-07-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

WOD: 7/3/08
6 Fifty yard shuttle sprints (25 yards & back)
25 Double Unders
4 Fifty yard shuttle sprints
50 Double Unders
2 Fifty yard shuttle sprints
75 Double Unders

Rx'd at 9:07. I was the last of 4 of us to finish this workout because I suck at double unders... ugh. This was also my last workout of the whole week. Not good because I didn't work out at all the whole weekend and I definitely consumed at least a thousand adult beverages. Tomorrow is going to be rough.

Weighted Pull-ups and Push-ups

2008-07-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

WOD: 7/2/08
Weighted Pull-ups 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Bench Press 3-3-3-3-3 reps

For the pull-ups I did:
10# x 3
15# x 3
20# x 3
25# x 3
30# x 2 (failed at 3)
9 strict pull-ups

Push-ups:
55# x 3
77# x 3
88# x 3
99# x 3
110# x 3

After this WOD a couple of us did another short workout. We did one pull-up then two push-ups for the first round and then 2 pull-ups and 4 push-ups the next and so on with as little rest as possible between rounds. I did strict pull-ups through 4 rounds and switched to kipping. I made it through 10 rounds before I decided to call it a night. This short workout alone included 55 pull-ups and 110 push-ups. Once again my shoulders were dead, but in a good way.

My Poor Shoulders

2008-07-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

WOD: 7/1/08
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
12 Wall Balls (20)
12 KB Swings (1.5 pood)

I finished exactly 12 rounds with 5 seconds left on the clock and I called it good. This workout was brutal on my shoulders. After 4 rounds I had to break the KB swings in to 6 and 6 reps but I kept all the wall balls together until the last round when my shoulders were about to give out after the first 5 shots. I went in to class aiming for 12 but when we started I was thinking more like 10 because the workout was much harder than it looked (as usual). I was happy to get through 12 though. I actually had just finished round 11 when they called one minute left so I pushed as hard as I could through the last round to finish. I didn't even break up the KB swings in the round. Afterwards I couldn't even lift a bottle of water to my mouth to take a drink. Next time I am shooting for 14.

Tire Flips

2008-06-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

WOD: 6/30/08
4 rounds of
10 tire flips
20 push-ups
25 box jumps (24" box)
200 meter run
2 minutes rest

I was thinking the same thing as you, that doesn't look all that hard. Believe me, it was intense and the rest breaks just forced you to work that much harder during each round. I started in the second wave and had to wait a few times for an open tire but my total time was 23 something. I wasn't very happy with my effort and I wish I would have started at the same time as Matt so I could try to keep up with him. I know should have pushed myself harder on the runs because I used them more to catch my breath cause the box jumps were killer.

After the WOD I did some work on my butterfly kipping pull-ups again. I was able to string 7 together this time with out losing my rhythm so I am getting better! They still look a little sloppy but that will come with more practice. My goal is to be able to do 30 pull-ups the next time we go for our 1 set max. I know I can do it if I just keep working at it.

Slapping Push-ups

2008-06-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

WOD: 6/27/08
5 rounds of
10 walking lunges (25# DB's)
10 push-ups
Immediately followed by 5 rounds of
10 jumping lunges (24# DB's)
10 Slapping push-ups

Friday was going to be my skip this day and go Saturday workout but I looked at it and I really wanted to do it. So I took off work 2 hours early to make it in to the 3PM class. I finished the first 5 rounds in 3:16 and the total work out in 11:39. I was pretty impressed with my time and my ability to stick to slapping push-ups the entire second half and not have to drop to clapping ones. The jumping lunges were killer and I barely made it through the last round. I was definitely sore all weekend and even some today.

Band Running?

2008-06-26T21:31:00.001-07:00

WOD: 6/26/08
7 rounds:
30 Seconds of band running
7 full hang cleans (135#)
30 second rest

The prescribed workout was originally for 10 rounds but Ricky could tell we were getting worn out by the 4th so he cut it back to 7 for us. Thank god, I think I might have died, ha! I also had to scale the load on the cleans to 115# partly because I am still not very good with my technique and partly because I am just not strong enough yet, soon though hopefully! There were only two of us tonight because it was technically a "rest day" so Matt and I had a side bet for who got the most band runs. The loser had to do 50 jumping pull-ups. Luckily he finished his cleans quicker than me so he finished his last band runs before me, and then he made the mistake of saying how many he ran. I was 7 behind at the time so I pushed harder and I tied him. So we both did the pull-ups. All in all, I'd say it was a good rest day :)

Filthy Fifty -- DNF :- (

2008-06-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

WOD: 6/25/08
For time:
50 Box Jumps, 24 inch box
50 Jumping Pull ups
50 Kettlebell Swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press, 45 pounds
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders

We were given a 30 minute time limit on this workout and I definitely did not finish (DNF). I got to 24 burpees when Ricky called time. I was flying through the box jumps, pull ups and kettlebell swings but when I got to the knees to elbows I got stuck. I probably spent 7 -8 minutes alone on just the KTE's. This was definitely "filthy" and I was feeling pretty woozy for the first 5 minutes afterwards. I was planning on going in again tomorrow but I will have to see how sore / worn out I am tomorrow.

1 RM Deadlift

2008-06-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

WOD: 6/24/08
Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

This was my first attempt at 1 rep max deadlifts so I didn't really know what to expect. About a month ago we did 3 RM deadlifts and I believe I got to around 260# before my form began to break down, so I dropped the weight down to work on that. This time I worked up to 321# and all but my last attempt had pretty good form. I wish I would have gone up a little more but I stopped there. It is still a personal record (PR) and it is a good gauge for what to beat next time!

After we were done with the WOD I decided that my hands had healed enough to work on my butterfly kipping pull-ups. I have been getting better at them and this time I got 4 in a row before I lost my rhythm. I am hoping to be able to use them in the next workout that includes pull-ups.

My First Post!!!

2008-06-23T21:24:00.001-07:00

WOD - For time:
800 meter run (campus x 2)
7 rounds of:
12 DB Bench Press (50#)
12 Med Ball Cleans (20#)

For this workout we were given a 20 minute time limit. I started with the prescribed weight of 50# and I made it through 4 rounds before I decided to step down to 45# dumbbells. Unfortunately I was still unable to finish the work out. I made it through 9 presses on round 7 before time was called. On a brighter note, the 800 meter run was much easier than I was expecting. It's hard to believe that just over a month ago I was struggling much more with workouts that included running. This WOD was brutal and my arms felt like jelly the entire drive home. I am pretty sure I am going to be extremely sore tomorrow.