Friday

Under 12 Minutes

Achievement Unlocked: Run a mile in under 12 minutes.

One mile in 11'51".

Whining: My quads were sore from 165 air squats on Thursday and my persistent Psoas muscle soreness kicked in as well. Nonetheless, Rich picked the route and pace and I almost kept up 'til about halfway, and then I fell back.

Winning: At some point I actually got into a groove & knew I would finish. A bit of a sprint over the last 100 made sure I broke 12.

I hate running.


Thursday

The Cindy

We did a modified Crossfit "Cindy" today.

We replaced the Pullups with Reverse Bodyweight Rows, but did the pushups & squats.

The idea is to repeat the circuit AMRAP, as many rounds (circuits) as possible, in 20 minutes.

So:

Thursday's Workout
Bodyweight Reverse Rows x 5
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Air squats x 15

For 11 circuits in 20 minutes.
(55 rows, 110 pushups, 165 squats)

We finished with:
Cat vomit ab clench x 20 secs
Long Swiss Ball Crunches x 30
Plank x 40 secs

We have successfully regained our intensity this week. This one was harsh. We struggled for Circuit #11 during the last couple of minutes.

Just beat.


Monday

Twenty Minutes of Hell

This weekend I decided we had strayed into longer workouts, 25+ sets & 30+ minutes, because what were doing was not intense enough. We were not sufficiently incoherent at the end. So Monday we turned it up a bit. Well, a lot.


This may be our hardest workout ever. Halfway through we considered resting, but decided against it. Instead we swapped the order, so we could make it to the end. (Well, I tried to swap them, but was so lost that I failed & Rich had to fix it. Then the buzzer went off.) This one got ugly.

Monday's Workout
We did 20 sets with a timer: One minute for each set.
Box Jumps x 5 @ 21"
Burpee + 2-Dumbbell Press x 10 @ 15#/15#
2H Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Russian Twist x 26
Bicycle Crunches x 30

Box Jumps x 5 @ 21"
Burpee + 2-Dumbbell Press x 10 @ 15#/15#
2H Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Russian Twist x 26
Bicycle Crunches x 30

Box Jumps x 5 @ 21"
Burpee + 2-Dumbbell Press x 8 @ 15#/15#
Russian Twist x 26
2H Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Bicycle Crunches x 30

Box Jumps x 5 @ 21"
Burpee + 2-Dumbbell Press x 6 @ 15#/15#
Russian Twist x 26
2H Kettlebell Swings x 20 @ 35#
Bicycle Crunches x 30

We both collapsed on the floor. Eventually we were able to put the equipment up and limp out. Rich said, "That's exactly what we need," and later, "We'll be feeling this one for a couple of days." Which pretty much sums it up.

Saturday

Sprints (or something like them)

Friday we decided to go for all-out 100-yard sprints. Admittedly they aren't Olympic in time, but we did hit 22-23 seconds consistently, which is about a 2-3 second improvement.

On the track we sprinted the 100-yard sides and walked the 120-yard curves. We also theorized that these were actually 100 meters, based on the football field, but were too tired to make a definitive determination. I'll find out.

So:
Sprints 8 x 100 (yards?) in 22-23 seconds.

By the end we were both feeling it in quads, hammies, and abs. A fine Friday.

Thursday

A little light in the eyes

One of our long-term goals is to do a pullup. There will need to be some more serious weight loss, of course, but we have to be ready when the time comes, so we worked on our Machine Pullup today. By far our best performance.

Five circuits, twenty-five sets, including five 220-yard runs.
When we started we only did a dozen sets.

We went Simon-style with virtually no breaks. I was glad to see this one end.

Thursday Workout
Run x 200 yds @ 7.5 mph
Feet-Up Pushups x 15
Swiss Ball Long Crunch x 25
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -150#
Kneeups x 10 (Captain's Chair)

Run x 200 yds @ 7.5 mph
Feet-Up Pushups x 15
Swiss Ball Long Crunch x 25
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -150#
Kneeups x 10 (Captain's Chair)

Run x 200 yds @ 7.5 mph
Feet-Up Pushups x 15
Swiss Ball Long Crunch x 25
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -150#
Kneeups x 10 (Captain's Chair)

Run x 200 yds @ 7.5 mph
Feet-Up Pushups x 15
Swiss Ball Long Crunch x 25
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -150#
Kneeups x 10 (Captain's Chair)

Run x 200 yds @ 7.5 mph
Feet-Up Pushups x 15
Swiss Ball Long Crunch x 25
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -150#
Kneeups x 10 (Captain's Chair)

We both got a little woozy as we were getting ready to leave and Rich came up with a great new line, "I'm feeling a little light in the eyes." We both definitely were.



Tuesday

Street Intervals

Tuesday, we used my Nike+GPS and landmarks on the streets around the school to run intervals for a mile. We ran hard 5 times for 250-300 yards and walked for 4 times for 50-100 yards until we equaled a mile. Our mile time was actually 12:16, which is right at my best time.

95 pounds

My weight is down to 265. Oh so close - down 95 pounds total. The Whole 30 paleo plan for a strict one-month diet is working. Down 13 pounds in 21 days.

Plates

45-pound plates were the central part of Monday's workout.
We did full-body shoulder/quads, back, core/grip strength, and abs.

The row and crunches were relatively easy. The overhead plate lunge walk appears to be a Crossfit staple, so we gave it a shot. Painful - we had to struggle to finish the last couple of sets. The farmer's walk hit us just right, as I had to hurry for my arms not to give out on the last one.

Workout
Plate Overhead Lunge Walk x 10 strides @ 45#
Bent Plate Row x 10 @ 45#
Farmer's Walk x 150+ feet @ 90# (45# plate in each hand)
20 Bicycle Crunches

Plate Overhead Lunge Walk x 10 strides @ 45#
Bent Plate Row x 10 @ 45#
Farmer's Walk x 150+ feet @ 90#
20 Bicycle Crunches

Plate Overhead Lunge Walk x 10 strides @ 45#
Bent Plate Row x 10 @ 45#
Farmer's Walk x 150+ feet @ 90#
20 Bicycle Crunches

Plate Overhead Lunge Walk x 10 strides @ 45#
Bent Plate Row x 10 @ 45#
Farmer's Walk x 150+ feet @ 90#
20 Bicycle Crunches

Plate Overhead Lunge Walk x 10 strides @ 45#
Bent Plate Row x 10 @ 45#
Farmer's Walk x 150+ feet @ 90#
20 Bicycle Crunches

Stretch
We finished with several stretches for our hip flexors, as we both had soreness.


Saturday

Friday 880's

I'm working toward a non-stop sub 12-minute mile. We are very close.

We built on the 440's in under 2:30 from Tuesday, we wanted to run two 880's in under 6 minutes each. It worked. (Rich is way ahead of me on this, already close to 11).

Warmup
1/10 mile walk

Run
880 yd run under 6 min.
1/10 mile walk in 2:15.
880 yd run under 6 min.

Warm down
2/10 mile walk

These are not acceptable times if you're a runner, but for 270-pound old linemen, they are just fine.

Friday

Tabata = Fall on floor. Do not move.

Part One
Elliptical Trainer Tabata Sprints
- Eight Circuits of 20 seconds @ 90+ RPM / 10 seconds at 60 RPM

Part Two
eight sets of 20 sec work and 10 sec transition x 3
Air Squats x 10
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 10
Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 35#
Air Squats x 10
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 10
Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 35#

2-minute break

Air Squats x 10
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 10
Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 35#
Air Squats x 10
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 10
Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 35#

2-minute break

Air Squats x 10
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 10
Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 35#
Air Squats x 10
Hand-Release Pushups x 10
Long Crunch on Swiss Ball x 10
Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 35#

Fall on floor. Do not move.




Wednesday

Picture Update

Down to 267.



Tuesday Intervals

We want to increase our mile pace, so we extended our intervals this week to 440's. We aimed for a 2:30 maximum.

Warmup
220 yd walk

Tuesday Interval Run
440 yd run
220 yd walk
440 yd run
220 yd walk
440 yd run

Warm down
220 yd walk

The interval run gave me a mile in 12:16 , which is actually my fastest time for the mile (Rich is faster). It seems I'm still a little better with short break as opposed to sustained runs. Getting there, nonetheless.

Monday

Pure Hate

I made a list of exercises that I hate or have left me particularly sore.

Running - hate it. Deadlifts - sore butt & ribcage. Plank - hate it. Bodyweight Rows - sore back & arms (I'm not light). Burpees - pure hate.

By the end I could barely move, and I was more than a little incoherent.

Monday's Workout

Run x 220 yd @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Plank x 45 secs
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Burpees x 10

Run x 220 yd @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Plank x 45 secs
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Burpees x 10

Run x 220 yd @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Plank x 45 secs
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Burpees x 10

Run x 220 yd @ 7.5 mph
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Plank x 45 secs
Bodyweight Rows x 10
Burpees x 10


Friday

Walk One, Run One

Walked a mile this morning with CRL. Drove out to school and ran a mile on the roads around the back of the playing fields. It was slow, 13:05, but finishing never felt in doubt. I can now start trying to do it faster. Shooting for 12 minutes first.

I weighed at noon & I was 268. My lowest weight yet. Just 8 from 100 pounds lost. The Whole 30 is working, I'm down 10 pounds in 12 days.

Dreary Thursday

Making the best of a slow morning.
So, new Kettlebell exercise today: One-arm Kettlebell High Pull.

Thursday Morning
One-arm Kettlebell high pull x 5/5 @ 10# (swing & punch version)
Hand Release Pushups x 10
Bicycle Crunch x 20
Lunge Walk x 5/5
Reverse Toe Touch x 10 (On back, raising both feet & hands)

One-arm Kettlebell high pull x 5/5 @ 10#
Hand Release Pushups x 10
Bicycle Crunch x 20
Lunge Walk x 5/5
Reverse Toe Touch x 10

One-arm Kettlebell high pull x 5/5 @ 10#
Hand Release Pushups x 10
Bicycle Crunch x 20
Lunge Walk x 5/5
Reverse Toe Touch x 10

One-arm Kettlebell high pull x 5/5 @ 10#
Hand Release Pushups x 10
Bicycle Crunch x 20
Lunge Walk x 5/5
Reverse Toe Touch x 10


The new exercise was a good addition, and we moved quickly through the circuit. However, this may be one of the first times I underestimated how hard the workout should be. Of course I'm feeling it in my abs and butt the next day, so not a total loss.




Wednesday

Tuesday Sprints

Six laps around the track. Sprinted the sides and walked the curbs.
So: 100 yd Sprints x 12
My times were 24-25 seconds, so about 2.5 Usain Bolts.

Monday

500

Today's goal was 500 reps, and a walk.

5 exercises, 10 reps, 10 circuits

Monday Morning
Warmup

Run x 220 yds @ 7.5 mph
Cable Rows x 20 @ 50#

Workout
10 Circuits (2 at a time, followed by a 1 min walk)
Air Squats x 10
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Swiss Ball Long Crunch x 10
Pullup Bar Hang x 10 secs
Russian Twist x 10

This went better than I expected, and I only really got light-headed during the last circuit.

Distance
Walk x 1.5 miles



Friday

Prison Workout

A busy Thursday led to a quick "Prison Workout" at home.

Thursday Morning
with breaks no more than one-minute
10 Burpees (with pushup)
9 Burpees
8 Burpees
7 Burpees
6 Burpees
5 Burpees
4 Burpees
3 Burpees
2 Burpees
1 Burpees

Simple but effective.

Then we walked a mile.


The Whole 30

On August 1st we started The Whole 30 program. It is a serious paleo program with no dairy, no alcohol, no chocolate. and no cheat days. We are ready to kick it in.