Friday

220's

For our Friday morning run we did intervals.

Well, we ran 220 yards (1/2 lap) and walked 220 yards.

We did six 220 sprints in all, and made all of them in between 55 & 65 seconds.

Our walking 220's lasted about 2 minutes & 20 seconds.

Friday Intervals
Run 220 - Walk 220 - Run 220 - Walk 220
Run 220 - Walk 220 - Run 220 - Walk 220
Run 220 - Walk 220 - Run 220 - Walk 220

So our total workout lasted 20 minutes. We were ready for it to end.




Thursday

Crossfit and Jack LaLanne

This workout was cribbed from general Crossfit WoD patterns.
Run. Do a 21-15-9 circuit. Run.

We only rested while the other worked at each station. We did have to break up the rows and knee-ups during the 21 and 15, i.e. 10-6-5, but completed all reps before moving on.

Thursday Morning
Ran 440 yards in 2:30

Two-Dumbbell Clean & Press x 21 @ 25#/25#
Bodyweight Rows x 21
   (hang from shoulder height bar, feet forward & plank, then pull up, chest to bar)
Knee-ups x 21 (Captain's Chair)

Two-Dumbbell Clean & Press x 15 @ 25#/25#
Bodyweight Rows x 15
Knee-ups x 15

Two-Dumbbell Clean & Press x 9 @ 25#/25#
Bodyweight Rows x 9
Knee-ups x 9

Ran 440 yards in 2:30

The final run capped things off well, using up what I had left. The rows are a good addition, giving us another upper back option, and my biceps really felt them today.

The two-dumbbell clean and press makes us both think of Jack LaLanne.
Which isn't a bad thing.



Tuesday

One More Mile

I made it through one mile for the third time today.
It was painfully slow: 13 minutes.

But I finished, and I'm thinking that three times means it's no longer a possible fluke, but a new state of being.

I'm good with that.

Monday

Tabata, First Thing Monday

Chest/core, back/legs, and abs.
Doing 10 circuits, tabata-style.
(~20 seconds of exercise, ~10 seconds rest, continuously)

Monday Workout
(Nine sets, only breaks were changing stations)
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20

- 2 minute break

(Nine more sets)
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20

- 2 minute break

(We finished with 12 sets to make it 10 total circuits)
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Kettlebell Swings x 15 @ 1 pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 20
Done

This one whipped us pretty good.

30 sets - 100 pushups, 150 kettlebell swings, 200 bicycle crunches. A good day.



Friday

Back in Black

My workout partner and I have not worked out together in almost two weeks, so this morning we did one set of several different exercises.

Friday Morning
Ran x 220 yards @ 7.5mph
Burpees x 6
High Pulls x 12 @ 45# (upright rows)
Myotatic Crunch x 25 (long crunch on Swiss ball)

Squats x 15
Dumbbell Clean & Press x 10 @ 25#/25# (both hands at once)
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -140#
Bicycle Crunches x 20

Lunge Walk x 10/10
Hand Release Pushup x 15
Sumo Deadlift High Pull x 10 @ 45#
Knee Raises x10 (Captain's chair)

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift x 5/5 @ 10#/10#
Feet up Pushups x 15
Bodyweight Rows x 10 (bar at shoulder height)
Plank x 45 seconds

Not a bad first day back.



Tuesday

Unavoidable Tuesday

In a hotel in Atlanta for a conference
The show must go on:

Tuesday Night
Walk 220
Run 880 in 6:10
Necessary Room Break
Run 880 in 6:10 (plus a 20 sec rest halfway)
Walk 220

Not what I was shooting for (12 minute mile), but the difference between monitoring your pace on the track at about 4.7mph and running a constant 5mph was greater than expected. The unavoidable breaks are, biologically, unavoidable.

Modified

I modified two of the exercises we've been doing to make them more stable and allow more reps. I'm excited that I found a configuration that finally made the rows work. And two dumbbells at once allowed me to make the clean & press more balanced and drop weight & increase reps per arm without reducing the intensity.


Monday Workout

Treadmill - 220 yd run @ 7.5 mph
Dumbbell Clean Press x 10 @ 25#/25# (two dumbbells)
Bodyweight Rows x 10 (feet on ground, pull up to bar at shoulder height)
Knee ups x 10 (Captain's Chair)
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 25

Treadmill - 220 yd run @ 7.5 mph
Dumbbell Clean Press x 10 @ 25#/25#
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Knee ups x 10 (Captain's Chair)
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 25

Treadmill - 220 yd run @ 7.5 mph
Dumbbell Clean Press x 10 @ 25#/25#
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Knee ups x 10 (Captain's Chair)
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 25

Treadmill - 220 yd run @ 7.5 mph
Dumbbell Clean Press x 10 @ 25#/25#
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Knee ups x 10 (Captain's Chair)
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 25



Thursday

Not Minding

"The trick... is not minding that it hurts" is how T.E. Lawrence explains his ability to snuff out a match with his fingers in Lawrence of Arabia.

One set every 90 seconds and 90 seconds between circuits.

Thursday's Workout
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift x 5/5 @ 10#/10#
Plank x 40 secs
Two-arm Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Walking Lunge Twist x 5/5 @ 15#
Burpee x 10

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift x 5/5 @ 10#/10#
Plank x 40 secs
Two-arm Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Walking Lunge Twist x 5/5 @ 15#
Burpee x 8

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift x 5/5 @ 10#/10#
Plank x 40 secs
Two-arm Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Walking Lunge Twist x 5/5 @ 15#
Burpee x 6

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift x 5/5 @ 10#/10#
Plank x 40 secs
Two-arm Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Walking Lunge Twist x 5/5 @ 15#
Burpee x 4


I thought this might be too easy, so I added the time component. It turned out to be one of most difficult workouts I've done. I was out of breath almost the entire 35 minutes. I actually laid in the floor for a while when I was done.

During the third circuit kettlebell swings I thought of this quote, which is in Prometheus, smiled, and tried not to mind.




Wednesday

Another Mile

One mile on the road, my time was 12:39.

There is slight hill that I climbed twice, but I still shaved a few seconds off my first mile, which was on a track.

This whole 'running a mile' thing is still hard to get my head around.

Moving forward.

Monday

Dead Serious

It has been quite a while since we did deadlifts. We did 3 x 3 at 225 lbs. several weeks ago.

The plan today was to deadlift 225 pounds in sets of 5. And also hit chest, abs, and sprints.

I made it through two deadlift sets, but I backed off during the third. Nonetheless, a good day.

Monday Morning
Treadmill Run x 220 yds @ 7.5 mph (1:04)
Deadlift x 5 @ 225#
Kneeups x 10 (Captain's Chair)
Feet-up Pushups x 15 (Sm. Swiss Ball)
Myotatic Crunch x 25 (Long Crunch on a Sm. Swiss Ball)

Treadmill Run x 220 yds @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 5 @ 225#
Kneeups x 10
Feet-up Pushups x 15
Myotatic Crunch x 25

Treadmill Run x 220 yds @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 1 @ 225# (lower back tightened up)
Air Squat x 4
Kneeups x 10
Feet-up Pushups x 15
Myotatic Crunch x 25

Treadmill Run x 220 yds @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 5 @ 135# (light, but I wanted to get the set in)
Kneeups x 10
Feet-up Pushups x 15
Myotatic Crunch x 25

I suspect the deadlift discomfort/pain was something I just hadn't experienced, but no point getting injured. My middle back has definitely been sore this afternoon, but the lower back is fine. The ab exercises clearly worked - still feeling it.





Albondigas (Meatball) Soup from Everyday Paleo

The Everyday Paleo book by Sarah Fragoso a great resource for Paleo Recipes and beginning workout information. It may seem a little domestic for hip paleo people, but we should get over that - it is quite useful.

We used her recipe for Albondigas (Meatball) Soup last night. It was excellent. Chili seasonings with a cabbage and meatball soup. It tastes outstanding.

The recipe is also available on her blog. You can find many other excellent recipes there.




Boston Butt in the Oven

I try different prep methods but the most recent success has involved:

3-4 pound Boston Butt

Immerse in cider vinegar and water for 30 minutes.
Pat dry.
Cover with 3 tbsp of salt and 1 tsp of raw sugar and let rest for at least half an hour.

Place in a 250 degree oven for 6 hours.

After 3 hours begin basting the butt every half hour with the juices in the pan.

When done, remove and let rest for 30 minutes.

Pull apart with forks.

I remove some of the remaining connective/fatty internal pieces, but break up the browned external fat with the meat.

I usually combine 2 tbsp of cider vinegar and 1 tsp of cayenne with the meat as I finish pulling it.

I drew on David Chang's article in Lucky Peach for this recipe.



Chicken Wings?

 Wings:
Separated into flats & drums.
Coconut Oil melted in a bowl.
Wings dipped in the bowl and arranged on a cookie sheet.
Broiler on High, Cookie Sheet placed on the 2nd lowest rack.
Broil 18 minutes, turn wings over.
Broil 18 more minutes on other side.
Place rack at highest position.
Broil 1 minute on each side.

Sauce:
6 oz. of Texas Pete Hot Sauce
4 oz. of Ghee (or Kerrygold Butter)
Heated and stirred together. 

Immediately after wings are taken out, dip them in the sauce and plate.

Serve with celery and blue cheese (recipe for another day).   



Thursday

When the Burpees are the 'Rest' Station

Today:

I planned sets that took about 40 seconds and then I started a new set on every minute, scheduled for twenty minutes. I used an Interval Timer app on my iPhone to ring on each minute.

I chose exercises that hit all the right muscle groups, but were largely different from Monday. I was still sore from the hand-release pushups & machine pullups. Aimed to hit chest/shoulders/legs, legs, back (posterior chain), and abs. Feels like it worked.

I combined two of our usual exercises by doing a combination of burpees and dumbbell clean & presses. Since it was new I used light weights (10 pounds in each hand)and low reps (just 5) and it turned out to be the easiest of the four stations, but still challenging. I will have to turn it up next time we do them.

Each set lasted one minute, including 5-15 seconds of rest.

Thursday
Burpee + Dumbbell Clean & Press x 5 @ 10#/10#
Box Jumps x 10 @ 15"
Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 1Pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 30

Burpee + Dumbbell Clean & Press x 5 @ 10#/10#
Box Jumps x 10 @ 15"
Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 1Pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 30

Burpee + Dumbbell Clean & Press x 5 @ 10#/10#
Box Jumps x 10 @ 15"
Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 1Pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 30

After 12 minutes I had to take an unavoidable bathroom break - as Rich would say, "I broke loose in the back stretch". I moved quickly and then finished the last 8 minutes/sets.

Burpee + Dumbbell Clean & Press x 5 @ 10#/10#
Box Jumps x 10 @ 15"
Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 1Pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 30

Burpee + Dumbbell Clean & Press x 5 @ 10#/10#
Box Jumps x 10 @ 15"
Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 1Pood (35#)
Bicycle Crunches x 30

I was as exhausted at the end of this one as I have been after any other workout. A new exercise and increases on the other three made this one a success. Of course, the fact that I was nauseous for half an hour afterwards also made that clear.

Box Jumps



Tuesday

June 2012

Holding steady right at 90 pounds lost.

But I am wearing some smaller shirts and pants.

Time to increase the walking & running a little and restrict carbs a little more.




One Mile

I ran one mile in 12 minutes and 46 seconds.

A line has been crossed.

Monday

Not a Bad Start

Monday Morning 8am. Rich had a 9am meeting.
So, a timed workout: a modified Crossfit "Cindy".

In 20 minutes, as many circuits as possible of:
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -170#
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Air Squats x 15

We made it through 9 circuits, 27 sets in about 21 minutes
(we didn't want to stop without finishing #9).

So: 45 pullups, 90 pushups, and 135 squats in 20 minutes.

Not a bad way to start the week.

Air Squats


Photo from a Crossfit Impulse


Friday

To Make Sure It Hurts

The plan was simple: chest, abs, legs/back, legs/abs, and all of the above. It turned out to be a solid, exhausting workout. I love tacking on some burpees just to make sure it hurts.

We didn't rest between exercises, except to move, but we did rest about a minute to a minute & a half between circuits.
 
Friday Morning Workout
Five circuits of:
- Feet-Up Pushups x 10 (on a sm. Swiss ball)
- Myotatic Crunch x 20 (long arm crunch on a sm. Swiss ball)
- Sumo Deadlift High Pull x 10 @ 35# (kettlebell)
- Lunge Twist x 5/5 @ 18# (medicine ball)
- Burpee x 5

We rested quite a while before we were able to leave after these 25 sets.

Sumo Deadlift High Pull with Kettlebell