mambo vipi rafikis

safi! poa! shwari! clean, cool, and calm - that's how i feel to be back in Dar. That being said, the gym is in piss poor shape (1 x10kg, x20 kg, 2 x25 kg dumbbells and not much else - no treadmill either). So lots of crossfit type work, pushups, and yoga (I hope - there is a lot of um *work* to be done too...)

anyhow today i did this:

dumbbell swings (i like to call them lumberjacks)
deadlifts
bent over rows
goblet squats
push presses
diagonal chop
10kg bell, 10 reps each X 4 rounds for time
18:14 with 90 sec rests between rounds

yesterday, in my jetlag haze i threw down 3 sets of 10 push-ups (2 real, 8 from knees each set).

Oh and i stretched! Lots.

Folding time and space

I missed posting last week, but I wanted to capture it for posterity and to try to convince myself that I'm not a total lazy ass. (I've had a cold for two weeks -- the first in years), and that along with Tim's new sleep schedule (make that "sleep" schedule), and I'm pooped to all hell.

Anyway, the workout went something like this:

5 rounds (ostensibly for time; ie: I hurried)

10 squats (95 lb)
10 presses (45 lb)
20 tuck jumps
12 back extensions

I did it in about 18 minutes. Then did some chin-ups. A couple sets of 3, and some jumping pull-ups. Oh, and 4 sets of 400 m at 15 km/hr.

Also, I've been going for runs, with and without Tim. Trying to do something -- anything -- at least every other day. Baba is going home tomorrow, though, so it's going to get harder to do stuff.

Instead of sleeping

Three rounds for time:

squat 115 lb x 10
sumo deadlift high pull 52 lb x 10
bench dips x 10
run 800 m (3:45 min each)

= about 20 minutes.

Finished with 10 x 95 lb squats and 3 dips.

The above did not have an energizing effect. I should've listened to the voice that told me this morning "just keep sleeping." (It was Ken's.)

Degrees of separation

Workout today was inspired by one of Overunder's, which he based loosely on Helton. I didn't look at the original WOD until just now... If I had, I probably would've changed my weight/reps a little and in general made it all a little more difficult. At any rate, I did four rounds rather than three, and was plenty sweaty and panting for a Monday morning.

4 rounds for time:
Run 800 m (8.5 mph)
52 lb sumo deadlift high-pulls, 12 reps
10 push-ups

= under 25 minutes.

I'm curious to see if Overunder posts his "workout" for today, and what amount of biting sarcasm and bitterness he invokes when doing so.

Made it my own

Took today's crossfit and made it work for me.

Three rounds for time of 800m run, 95lb squat cleans X 15, 135lb bench press X 10.

29:10. Much sweat.

Damn the morning

I've been trying to get to the gym all week, but every morning it's so early and I seem to only have enough energy to drag myself down to the coffee room (aka "kitchen"), and I get no further. I had a burst of energy this morning thanks to my fella taking care of the night's wake-ups, so off I went with this circuit tucked under my arm (also thanks to my fella, who devised it on the spot from bed where Tim and I had descended upon him at 6:58 am):

20, 16, 12, 8 reps of:

95 lb squats
18" box jumps
push-ups
sit-ups

In about 16 minutes. I never have a watch - have to go by the clock on the wall.

Then I finished with a few eccentric pull-ups (let-downs?), and 3x400 m (9 mph each, with 1/10 mile recovery in between).

And home for coffee. Sweet, sweet lattés.

Kettlebells!

I was going to do this workout again (rows and thrusters), but having recently noticed that my gym has kettlebells (either new or hidden until now) I decided to replace the thrusters with KB swings.

But then the rower was buried until a pile of stationary bike because they were polishing some of the floors where the bikes were, so I also replaced rowing with running.

So my workout ended up looking like this:

Run 1.25 miles (10:00)
50 KB swings (25 lb)
Run 3/4 mile (5:45)
35 KB swings
Run 1/2 mile (can't recall the time, but I ran slightly faster)
20 KB swings (and found myself wishing for that liquid chalk for the 2nd time this week)

It took about 28 minutes. Not really comparable to the rows and thrusters, since running is slower and I did slightly longer distances.

Finished with 10/leg split squats (30 lb bb) and 3, 2, 2 dips.

Annie's badass cousin

I squeezed a workout in the one day we were home between trips to Sherbrooke and Waterloo (that latter from which I am now posting).

This was inspired by Annie.

50, 40, 30, 20, 10 reps of:

thrusters, 22 lbs
sit-ups
hip raises (shoulders on a bench), 10 lbs

It took about 18 minutes (for future reference, I guess).

I started with 20 lbs on my hips for the hip raises, but dropped one of the db's after 17 reps because the burn started early!

And, I finished with some dips: 4, 2, 2 + 4 assisted (45 lb offset, which is the least weight possible on our machine, as far as I can tell).

Back at the gym

Today's workout was inspired by Overunder's workout earlier this week, which was in turn loosely based on a Crossfit WOD. Here's how I did it:

5 rounds (theoretically for time):

25 tuck jumps
20 thrusters (32 lb bar)
15 overhead lunges (10 lb bar)

22ish minutes.

These early morning workouts are tough! I kind of took my time going from exercise to exercise. And I almost only did 3 rounds, then almost only did 4 rounds, then fuck it, I finished off the fifth. Weak shoulders felt like the gating factor, but my quads have been pretty wobbly all morning.

In the backyard

I love summer!

During naptime this morning...

4 rounds:

3 chin-ups
25 sit-ups
8 push-ups
200 skips
30 overhead walking lunges (no weight - used a chariot handle)

25:58 minutes.

I decided I should set the count back by one each time I tripped up in the skipping, so in the first round I did about 250 skips. By the 3rd round I managed to get to 125 before tripping. Yah practice.

O/H walking lunges - tried for form: arms locked, shoulders back, etc. My shoulder range of motion is severely limited (I can't really even get my biceps to my ears), so this was actually quite difficult. I wouldn't be able to do it with much weight.

A better day

Dear Sportheque Daycare,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I was going to rendez-vous with Annie this morning, but there was a class in the aerobics room, so I did this instead:

4 rounds:
10 thrusters, 52 lb
3 pull-ups, slow eccentric motion only*
3 dips**
15 incline sit-ups (with oblique twists)

Finisher: 15 45lb thrusters

Run 400 m @9.5 mph x 3 (90 sec rest between)

* Hanging my 135 lbs from my wee little hands for 15-20 seconds over and over again was little too ambitious. My grip gave out before my lats/arms, and my reps ended up being 3; 2+1 chin-up; 1; 2 with a neutral grip.

** Dips after the thrusters were also overly-ambitious. My reps look like this: 3, 3, 2 + 8 bench dips, 1+3 assisted dips (45 lb offset).

I'd also like to note that my BUTT is really sore from those split squats yesterday. I'm glad to know that I do have a butt-sculpting move in my arsenal.

Bang for my buck

For the record, Tim did NOT repeat his sleeping performance from the other night. Oh, no no no. But we moved on from there and went to the gym TOGETHER this morning. The excursion was a complete success! I booked a VirtuCar (er, CommunAuto here in QC), dropped Tim off at the daycare -- where he headed straight for the wall of toys without looking back -- and had a great workout. He's still sleeping in the car seat, and I've eaten my lunch!

Anyway. Here's what $5 worth of daycare got me:

Easy-ish 1000m row (4:50 min)

4 rounds:
400 m run (all at 9 mph)
10 thrusters (20 lb dbs)
15 incline sit-ups

Not for time because I didn't have a watch and didn't check the clock, though I really didn't pause to rest -- just the time it took to get from one area of the gym to the next.

Finished with:
15 presses (45 lb)
15 squats (45 lb)
1/2 mile run at 7 mph

Superset of 3 rounds:
12 hamstring rollouts/hip raises on the ball
10 knee tucks on the ball

Plus, one happy, sleepy kidlet.

I brought down two pairs of black socks from the laundry basket this morning, one destined for Ben's drawer, one for my gym bag. Guess which pair I ended up wearing for my workout?

Popped my cherry

My 'turkish get-up' cherry that is...

30 tgu's, 30 tuck jumps, 30 burps (start from the squat, kick back to pushup, jump back to squat). Time was:
tgu's (5.5lb dumbell) - 3:18
tuckjumps - 2:03
burps - 4:56
total - 10:17

This workout got me soaked (stinging eyes, sweat dropping off my nose soaked - loved it) tgu's are fun, could probably take this w/o to 50's. Had contemplated repeating but the burps induce bile.

finished with a 1km run, planks x3 (1min, 35 sec, 25 sec - my abs were ok but my shoulders couldn't hack it after the above), supermans 15x2, leg throws 13 x3 and a 3km run (had only planned 1km as there is work to be done but the endorphins started flowing and I missed the high. Hey - it's been over 6 weeks since I've had chocolate ;)


Over the weekend, did a short 3km and a 300metre swim with some 1 min. egg beaters thrown in as penance.

And back at the gym

Overunder suggested a quickie this morning. I never turn him down.

So I did this at the gym:

20 assisted pull-ups (65 lbs because I am a wimp)
30 push-presses (42 lbs)
40 back extensions
50 tuck jumps
60 sit-ups (on a slight incline)

= 14 minutes.

Then I finished off with 18 95 lb squats and 10 push-ups (from the toes, chest came no where near to touching the ground!)

And home again to my sweetie.

cleans and 800's

cleans: 132x3. frig.

metcon: from Crossfit Endurance - 800m x5/90s rest. Did these at 8mph on the dreadmill
25:15.

Spirit of Tabata

Based on Tabata Something Else (back-to-back tabatas of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and squats with no break in between), with multiple cheats.

My version:

Pull-ups = on the machine with 75 lb offset (7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 6, 5, 4) = 46
Push-ups = from the knees (16, 13, 11, 8, 8, 7, 6, 6) = 73
Sit-ups = feet hooked (is that cheating?) (11, 10, 9, 10, 9, 11, 11, 10) = 80
Squat = no cheating! (19, 17, 17, 15, 15, 16, 15, 16) = 130

Total reps - 329

I also took little 30 second or so breaks between each tabata. Still, ouch.

Overunder just finished this same workout, but without the cheating... I must go pick him up of the floor. (Kidding! He looks remarkably well for having just tasted the fire of hell!)

Mini Murph

I'm adding a new tag: "SOC". Stands for "Spirit of Crossfit". As in, inspired by a crossfit workout, is relatively short and potentially puke-inducing, but scaled down and altered to the degree that a mere mortal (such as myself) could actually complete it.

I did an SOC workout today. Based on Murph (and the "Smurph" title was already taken; I guess someone did one a few years ago), but I not only halved the number of reps, but also cheated on a few other levels.

Mile run (7:25, flat treadmill)
50 pull-ups (75 lb on the pull-up machine, and I even kipped a little)
100 push-ups (from the knees)
150 BW squats
Mile run (8 min and change)

(The middle part partitioned as 10 sets of 5, 10, 15.)

Total time, over 30 min (I forgot to stop the clock at the end!)

Question: On the pull-up machine, I assume the weight you set it at is the amount you offset from your bodyweight? If that's the case, I was doing 60 lb pull-ups. That's pathetic.