The road to DOMS

Overunder at breakfast today, rubbing his lats and rolling his shoulders: "Wow, I've never had DOMS this bad in my life."

He's referring to this six rounds he took in the chest on Monday. Five days ago.

I did that workout anyway. Scaled to fit, but I suspect a similar difficulty relative to our strength.

As many rounds in 20 minutes:
250 m row
20 push-ups (from the knees)
= 6 sets of rows, 5 sets push-ups (but I did the 6th set anyway. So six rounds in just over 21 minutes.)

By set four, I was doing the push-ups in groups of three or four.

There will be DOMS.

Canis interruptus

Squats and 400's today. I used the straight route with the risk of traffic interruption. No traffic today, but there were a couple of loose dogs that were runner-curious. First time past, I squealed (literally) to a halt as the hip-high shepherd-arctic dog (wolf?) mix trotted right up to me. Just a sniff. By the third time past I was confident that the dogs were friendly (the rottie-mix really just looked on) -- but why the eff weren't they tied up? Seriously, the buddies were just hanging loose and alone on their yard. (Forgive me, my neighhourhood has a higher-than-average percentage of pitbulls owned by people with lower-than-average IQ's. I have been chased. I have fear.)

Anyway. I only lost a few seconds to my fear of dogs-on-the-loose. It was this old crossfit stand-by:

5 rounds for time:

50 squats
Run 400 m

= 14:48 minutes.

Gah. I was sure I'd beaten my previous time. But no. A few seconds shy. Damn dogs.

Actually, I did this one accidentally backwards, starting with the run. Oops.

And finished with 3 x 10 push-ups, hands elevated on a low step - about 6 or 8 inches? Ten was about the max I could do in one set. (By comparison of difficulty, I can do about five full push-ups in one set, and about 25 knee push-ups in a set.)

Latté on a stick

We were completely behind schedule on everything this morning, starting with an 8:30(!) sleep-in. So that I would have time left in the morning for my pre-nursery-school-pick-up latté, I picked a short-as-possible workout, and did it as quickly as I could.

5 rounds for time:

50 squats
Run 400 m
= 14:42 minutes.

That's a PB on this workout. Previous times were 16:15 and 16:50, and the fastest I've ever done it was 15:35. I'm pretty sure I counted everything right (sidewalk chalk and all).

Yeah, the lure of the coffee is that powerful.

Later at the park, I did some chins, some bench dips, and some kid-assisted swing planks. And by kid-assisted, I mean I held a plank with my hands on the swing (already pretty hard), while Tim climbed the plank. Talk about taking it up a notch!

Crossfit for your pleasure

I still only do the running Xfits. I'm only a partial fidiot. This is a wonderful workout though.

Did this once before, more than a year ago:

For 20 minutes:

Run 400 meters
Rest precisely the time of the previous run

= 6 runs, with less than a minute left in the 20 minutes.

Last time, I did the runs/rests about a minute faster, completing six full rounds (6 runs AND rests). This time, my first three runs averaged about 1:35 minutes. The last three runs averaged about 1:44.
Then, I did a couple sets of 8 low-bench push-ups. (Actually on the front walk step, about half the height of a bench.)

Yesterday at the park: 3 sets of 10 bench dips and 5 inverted rows, plus 3 chin-ups.

Reminder: stretch now and then

Or maybe today's lesson should be: don't try to make up for lost time by cramming a bunch of workouts into a week. Without stretching after any of them (needless to say, warm-ups were also in short supply.)

As a result, I just about ended up prone on a neighbours lawn when my glute max began seizing on the last round of this:

As many round in 15 minutes of:

400 m run

6 deadlifts (95 lb)

= 5 rounds + 150 m

Plus presses: 50 x 6, 6, 6; 55 x 5, 4 (I guess I shouldn't have been so nervous about these. I may be ready to try 60.)

Previously this week:

- 50 minute solo run the morning after frisbee (8.3 km)

- To and from Lac Leamy beach with a fully-loaded stroller; raced a thunderstorm on the way home (I won by about 4 minutes); about 7 km with a two-hour beach break at the 3.5 km mark :-)

Back at it ... again.

Okay, after two weeks off we're getting back to routine. Tim was excited all weekend to go back to "gool", and I was excited for my workout, especially after watching all those truly elite athlete play out CUC finals on Sunday. Facing activity after so long an absence is intimidating, so I fell back on my usual "spring-board" workout:

5 rounds for time:

50 squats
Run 400 m
= 16:15

(Last time: 16:50. Apparently two weeks isn't a career-ending break.)

Finished with 2 x 10 push-ups, and a little later in the park on the way home from school, 2 x 10 bench dips.

Today, walking around the market for two hours with a 35 lb* child on my back. Frisbee tonight - first game in three weeks.

*Estimate only. We skipped the two year check-up. Kid is so damned healthy and I'm on the lazy side. We measured Tim's height recently though, and if the theories are correct, he's on track to top out at 6'2". (He's grown 4 inches since January.)

One of my faves

I think I will tag it the "16-12-8-4" (Overunder's idea; I believe he will follow with a post of his own on this.) This is an excellent one - painful but so satisfying.

Run
1600 m = 6:38 (6:57)
 rest 3 min
1200 m = 5:17 (5:34)
 rest 2 min
800 m = 3:59 (3:25)
 rest 1 min
400 m = 1:43 (1:36)

Total -- 23:38 (23:32)

In parenthesis are the times from my previous crack at it. I have mapped a new route for these distances, so I'm not sure a comparison is fair; it's hard to know how precise Googlemaps Pedometer is. I'll just have to do it again soon with the current mapping and compare that.

Specifically, the initial mile seems a bit fast (see below). However, it DID feel pretty good...

Last Friday, I ran a mile and then did some squats and presses:

Mile - 6:48 min
Squats - 105 x 6, 6, 6
Presses - 45 x 10, 10, 8

I'm back. Who's with me?

First in the "Nursery School Workout" summer series:

5 rounds for time:
50 squats
Run 400 m
= 16:50

This is a full 1:15 min slower than I did it last November. Someone's got work to do!

Finished up with 3 x 10 push-ups.

ps - Did the usual thrice-weekly 5K stroller run this morning, but got caught in a thunderstorm. Ran the last km or so at a 400 m pace, with a couple of 30 sec rest breaks under trees. Tim got soaked from the waist down but slept through it all.

Posterior (power) chain

After I shoveled the driveway last night, Overunder suggested a deadlift workout for this morning. Risking a back blowout, I gave it a whirl:

5 rounds:
21, 18, 15, 12, 9 deadlifts (95 lbs)
Run 400m (13.5/14 kmph)
(Took about 16-17 minutes)

Bench dips - 3 sets of 10
Hip raises - 35 lbs; 3 sets of 10

My back held out. Didn't even twinge. It strong like bull.

Squats and 400's

Another repeater, so I have stats to compare with.

The workout:

4 rounds for time:
Run 400 m
50 squats

My time: 12:20.

Compare with last time: 14:20

Confessions: I didn't look at the workout post before doing this one; I just remembered I'd done something like it before. So a) I did it backwards and squatted first then ran the 400 m, which, after the first round I don't think it would matter much, and b) I actually did 5 rounds this time, and completed the total in 15:35. Then went for an easy 20 minute jog and met up with Baba and Tim at the park.

Hallow e'en treats

Worked out with Kid 2 last night. I, dressed as a bag of jelly beans, chased him, dressed as death's exec. assistant, around the neighbourhood in near 0 temperatures to get from one house to the next trick or treating. Seriously lame hallow e'en house-wise as maybe 10% of the homes in our neighbourhood were feeling it. I really did chase him, screaming, "You can't escape me death! Even death likes candy!"

Today, Sunday's crossfit, scaled then added on to :-)

30 reps of squat clean and jerk with 95 lbs. followed by 2 x 800 m runs at 1% grade on the treadmill (3:10 each run). 23:05 total time (14:05 on the cleans / jerks). Could go heavier and harder next time.

Halloween warm-up

On Saturday, I did this workout again:

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
45 pound thruster, 5 reps
45 pound hang powercleans, 7 reps
45 pound sumo deadlift high-pull, 10 reps

This time in the gym with a proper set-up. But damn, I did fractionally fewer rounds this time...

My result: 13 rounds, with 6 seconds to spare.
Last time: 13 rounds + 5 thruster & 6 cleans

But this time, I finished up with a 7:04 mile. (Treadmill, no grade.)

The next day (Halloween), I escaped for a 55 minute run with no stroller. I loved it. Ran probably in the neighbourhood of 9 km.

Today, I can barely walk. Quad DOMS from hell.

Third time around

I love this running workout. It's so hard, but I can't help coming back to it. I haven't done it since May, so let's have a look and see if I've improved at all:

Run

1600 m = 6:57 (6:56)
rest 3 min
1200 m = 5:34 (5:52)
rest 2 min
800 m = 3:25 (3:25)
rest 1 min
400 m = 1:36 (1:43)

Total -- 23:32 (23:56)

I don't trust my math, nor should you, but it looks like an improvement. Might be the result of going through a frisbee season, or the fact that the previous run was in a heatwave while yesterday's was completed under PERFECT conditions: bright sunny, about 10 degrees, with the headwind on the short side of the loop.

Also, I felt like barfing after each round this time, too.

Highs and lows

Saturday I did 18 pull ups in a row with the help of kipping and encouragement.

Today I did a crossfit from last week, as many rounds of 10 x 80 lb push press, 10 x 50 lb db swings and 10 x 24" box jumps. Managed 7 or 8 (guess I have to go with 7). It was hard. Push press was gating.

300

Do I look bronzed and shiny to you?

Jack, scaled a few pounds heavier than the BrandX recommendation:

As many rounds in 20 minutes:

10 push press (52 lb)
10 kb swings (25 lb)
10 box jump (20")

= 10 rounds, with 8 seconds to spare.

"Finished" with chin-ups (3 sets of 3), and 20 95lb squats.

Fight gone bad gone bad

This got pretty hard!
3 rounds of 1 minute each of:
15 kg thrusters (40, 31, 25)
30 kg SHPDL (20, 13, 14)
20 inch box jump (24, 18, 16)
Push Press (12, 12, 12) I did strict press the first round. duh
Row for calories (19, 19, 19)
Total was 294 (if you do not want to do the math)

Tim consents (barely) to Murph (more or less)

My mini-Murph:

Run a mile (7:25)

25 jumping chin-ups*
50 push-ups
100 squats
(Above segmented into five rounds of 5, 10 and 20 respectively.)

Run a mile (7:17)

= about 30 minutes. (Still don't have a watch.)

* Jumping pull-ups for rounds 2 and 3.

Compare with last time. (Actually more improved than I thought. However, it also seems like last month, rather than MARCH, that I last tried a mini murph.)

The first run would've been faster, but my gym had sneakily re-programmed the treadmills to display in kilometres. When I hopped on, I thought the 'mill was broken -- 8.5 was SO SLOW. I tried another, and another, then clued in. Probably better that way, or I'd have blown my load right at the start.

When I returned to the daycare, Tim was crying. Apparently he'd been cheerful-tearful for the whole hour. Kudos to the girl watching him for putting up with it, rather than bringing him to me partway through the workout!

Next time I try Murph, I'm doing the whole thing. Still scaled, but the reps will be on target. The jumping chins were easier than I expected, and I can go to knee-push-ups if necessary.

She IS a bitch

Kelly.


5 rounds for time of 400m run, 30 x 15 kg thruster (my wall ball), 30 x 24 inch box jumps. Time = 34:28.

Snotty!

That Kelly b*tch

Showdown with my namesake WOD today. Scaled, but still a real bitch.

Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 m (mostly 9 mph; 8.5 for rounds 3 & 4)
30 box jumps (15", ie: 6 risers under the step bench)
30 wall balls (6 kg, without the wall)

@ 28 minutes.

I can't remember if I've done this one before. I'll look it up...

All I had

Ms Hedda led me to do Murph yesterday: For time, run 1 mile, 50 pull ups, 100 push ups and 150 squats, run 1 mile. Time = 36:25. This included a 2 minute chat along the way, which was too bad. I almost 'murphed' on the treadmill near the end.