Reflections on 12.1

It's over.  And by over I mean the first of 5 grueling workouts.  In my previous post I mention that I was unsure of whether I was disappointed or not in my performance.  Well...After more thought I decided that I was not happy and I thought I could do better....so I did.

I was visiting friends outside of Boston this weekend and was able to find a box near where I was staying.  Crossfit Florian, whose name is wicked cool.  St. Florian is the patron Saint of firefighters and this box was owned by a few of Boston's bravest.  VERY cool name, also a very cool place.  The coach there who judged me was incredibly helpful in pushing me through the WOD, even though I felt bad about asking to judge me rather than doing the group WOD (Barbara, which by the way was cool to hear in a Boston accent)

I was hungover (6-10 beers the night before).
I was Tired (<4 hours sleep).
I didn't stop.

I improved from 93 to 98 burpees.  Even though I was struggling in the final minute he pushed the shit out of me and I was able to get 18 in the final minute.

I don't know if I have ever hurt from a workout more...Fran might be the only thing close.

I did not reach my original goal, but I can say that when I did the workout, I gave it my all.  Maybe without the hangover I get the triple digits, but I'm at peace with it.

STANDINGS

Ahh...the all important standings.

I finished in 14,658 out of roughly 34,000 people worldwide (beat 57% of male participants)
I finished in 1160 out of 2820 in the region (beat 59% of male participants)

In my box I was 12 out of 17 male participants.

A big shoutout to Mike who finished 3rd in the region and Evan who pumped out 134 in one try.  Our best female was Molly with 121 .

Crossfit 610 is currently 7th in the region, great job team!

Next up...workout 12.2.  What kind of surprises do you expect?  And did anyone see the guy do 161..holy shit that was crazy...actually I'm finding it and posting it below.  Drago has nothing on this guy.

Disappointment or happiness?

I completed the first workout of the Crossfit open.  I finished it but I can't say I killed it.  I went in with a goal of 100.  I actually only got 93.

How do I take this?  Did I fail? At first I felt a little okay with it since I know I did the best I could...but there is still this nagging "I could have done better" feeling in my gut.

1 extra burpee per minute and I'm at 100.  Just 1 measly burpee.

one of these a minute...that's it.

So..do I do it again?

I'm going to Boston this weekend and going out on Friday night leaving only Saturday to try it.  And it's so cardio intensive that a night out would likely ruin the chances of triple digits.  Not that I'm gonna get drunk, but even a few drinks could derail the chances.    

I think I may.  Even if I don't beat it, then I'll know I pushed myself.

I do want to say though, that watching the other people from 610 and feeling the enrgy in the room was A-MAZ-ING.  Having Linds screaming at me prolly added 5 reps to my score to I'm really appreciative of having those people around.

WOD

max reaching burpees (6 inches) in 7 minutes

Score: 93

Cheat!

Eating is not a marriage.  You have to cheat sometimes.  It's natural and it will keep you sane.  The key is to control the cheats. Below are some Do's and Don'ts

DO Reward yourself with a cheat
DON'T cheat if you have no earned it

Like training a dog you should reward yourself for doing well.  But do not give yourself a treat if you bite hte mailman.

 Left:  Good.  Right:  Too much.

DO get a snickers bar
DON'T get a king size snickers bar

You are cheating for the taste, not to fill yourself up.  Give yourself a regular sized piece of candy, or a 2 scoop sundae.  You don't need the 5 scoop mega sundae or the entire box of swedish fish (I've done it).  get that sweet taste and cherish it.

DO enjoy the treat
DON'T think you have to go extra hard at the gym to work that cheat off

It will come off normally during your workouts.  No need to go extra hard if you cheat once a week.


All in all, just be cognizant of what you are doing.  You'll start to enjoy that candy more rather than just swallowing it.  In the end, you'll enjoy life more.

WOD

500m row
150 DU's
50 Burpees

Time: 7:50

Then did 106 DU's in a row (video below)
then did 6 T2B in a row which is a huggge accomplishment for me.  Thanks Brad!

Good and Bad In People

Just got my 140lb Snatch.  Notice the spectators on the left yelling.  It was great!  Thanks guys! (Image: journalmenu.com)

 What blew me away the most during the event was the number of spectators.  It was not just athletes, in fact I’d bet athletes were outnumbered 3-1 by spectators.  What was great about all the spectators was that most were not only cheering on their friend or box mate, they were cheering each and every competitor on.  When someone struggled with a lift, you could hear the decibel level go up.  It was really great.

Most importantly for me was how many fellow crossfit 610ers were there showing support for those competing.  I know Molly was very thankful for all your help in setting up, cleaning, judging…. But from my point of view it was that support during WODs that was most noticeable, I swear it helped me a lot in that snatch ladder.  From yelling out tips to just screaming "GET ON THE BAR!" although I can't remember specifics, I can remember hearing a positive vibe.  So thank you very much, it just keeps reinforcing that community atmosphere that we all built at 610.  

You can see me in the back getting my 115lb snatch.  (credit: journalmenu.com)

The bad that I noticed was how some athletes snapped at judges.  It was rare, but it did happen.  From "oh come on" to "that was a rep!" and on to "I know I was there!".  Shut up.  Are your eyes below your chin?  no..ok then you don't KNOW you're there.  See, when you're doing your normal WOD at your box, you will let yourself get away with a few questionable reps, no big deal...but when at a competition suddenly you can't do that.  The judges there are doing the best they can (and let's note here that they are volunteers).  Of course, I understand emotions are high and you're tired and you just want to finish but channel that anger into legit reps and if you get no rep'd then just go harder on the next rep.  If worst comes to worst, make it through that event and then make sure you don't get the same judge for the next one.

Mike said it best...don't waste reps and don't waste time arguing about whether something was judged correctly.  Just go out there and get it done.

(image: journalmenu.com)

(personal note:  I have screamed at umpires in baseball, football, and even got into a heated debate with a golf official once, so I'm just as guilty as anyone else here.  Just thought I would throw it out there.)


WOD Yesterday

Strength: 10 minutes 3 Power Cleans at 85% 1RM at the minute. (145)

5 rounds
12 -1.5 pood KB Snatch
12 - T2B
12 Burpees
Time: 15:41

What Division?

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!   Time to burn off those calories and build some muscle!  Well, now I have a reason to not let myself go this holiday season!  I signed up for another competition!  More info  below!

Immediately after my first competition ended (and before the results were released), I started to wonder "was I in the right division?"  Even though based on the registration page I was clearly in the intermediate division, I thought I got blown away.  

After the results were released though, I realized that I was in fact in the correct division.  Had I entered the "novice" division I would have come in about 3rd place (maybe 4th) and would have blown them away on the row.  So, I was in the right place.  Now, Festivus was unique in that it was made for beginners so none of the workouts would have to be scaled.

Yesterday I signed up for my second crossfit competition and I was again asked to choose a division.  Rx or scaled.  I asked myself the following questions:

Do I want to be challenged?  

Of course I do, why else would I do crossfit.  I don't want to be in a lower division only to win or place.  I want to be challenged and compete against my peers.  Which is why when I look at Festivus, I know I made the right choice, I wanted to go against people at my same ability level and those at the novice division did not deserve to go against someone who has more ability (currently) and has been doing crossfit possibly longer.  It wouldn't be fair to either party.

Will I be able to complete the workouts as prescribed?

Ahh..this is the one that eventually helped me choose scaled.  See, I can only do a few of the ladies at a prescribed weight, and competitions usually have time limits and high weights.  So, rather than sign up and not be able to finish any workouts and embarrass myself, I decided to sign up in the scaled division.  I think at my current level this was the right choice.  

So on January 14th I will be competing in the "Second Annual PA's Fittest" competition.  You can see more info here.  http://www.thegaragegames.com/events/second-annual-pas-fittest/  .  This will be taking place at my home box (Crossfit 610) in Allentown so any of my PA readers please consider making the trip for this event.  

WOD (Wednesday 11/23)

7 ROUNDS
        5 WALLBALLS
        10 SITUPS WITH WALLBALL IN HAND
        15 AIR SQUATS
THEN...
7 MINUTES TO FIND YOUR 1 REP MAX CLEAN & JERK

Time: 8:42

Weight: 170 (a new pr)

WOD (Saturday 11/26)

HERO WOD

"Santora"

Three rounds for reps of:
155 pound Squat cleans, 1 minute
20' Shuttle sprints (20' forward + 20' backwards = 1 rep), 1 minute
245 pound Deadlifts, 1 minute (I did 185)
Burpees, 1 minute
155 pound Jerks, 1 minute  (I did 115)
Rest 1 minute

Score: 134

WOD (Yesterday)

Strength: find 3 rep max back squat  Weight: 225

WOD: 

5 rounds

7 shoulder to overhead (135lbs)

35 double unders

Time: 8:48

Weight Ain't Nothing But a Number

With all due respect to the pedophile R. Kelly, weight is nothing but a number.  Using that number as motivation and as a measuring tool is fine and dandy when you are first starting.  If you think you look big and want to get smaller, it is obvious that you would fixate on your weight.  But once you're at a point where you think you look OK and only need some minor improvements you need to stop looking at your weight and start focusing on something else.  Whether that be body fat percentage, bicep circumference, or your Fran time you need to give up on using weight as the be all that ends all.

The reason I bring this up is because I've been eating like shit the past 2-3 weeks.  I mean fast food 3-4 times a week, a few beers a few times a week and wings whenever I can get them.  Now, I've been eating ok for breakfast and lunch but I'm still not where I SHOULD be.  This morning I jumped on the scale and to my surprise, I haven't put on a pound.  I'm still in the mid to lower 160's.  Does this mean I should keep going the way I am?  NO!  Not at all.  My stomach is far less defined than it was just a few short weeks ago.  I'm using a more subjective measure of my progress now, but still If i were using the objective weight measurement then I'd start thinking " I can eat fast food forever!"  

The moral of the story is.  Eat well.  Drink water.  Sleep a lot.  you'll feel great, look great, and be regular.  (I don't know what regular has to do with anything but thought putting 3 things would sound better)

WOD

Strength:  7 x 1 Shoulder Press from the front; 7 x 2 shoulder press from the back.
WOD:  20 Back squats ( 155) then 3 rounds of 15 wall ball sit-ups, 15 burpees, 15 ground to overhead dumbbells (35 lb dumbbells)

Strength: was able to do 95lbs on the front, then was able to do 85 lbs on the back
WOD: Time 15:20

Felt good during the WOD  My shoulders were absolutely burning though.  After the WOD there was a skill cash out of hand stand holds and I did one..then I tried to do a full HSPU..below are the results.

The mat has a hexagon shape to it...now so does my head.

Fantasy Draft and Bachelor Parties...

..do not make for a good crossfitter.  In fact, long weekends and holidays don't either.  This past weekend was kinda crazy and I can honestly say that I did just about everything wrong...in a crossfit sense.  Here is a bulleted list of what went down.

Fantasy draft at hooters...of course I had the wings..and a lot of beer
Went out for a few drink after it..got to bed at like 3
Woke up at 6 to go to the US Open
Got home at 1130
Woke up at 6am again and went golfing
Had drinks and some crappy food while golfing
Went out for bachelor party and had more drinks
Got home at 4am

So let me summarize with..drank a bunch, ate crappy, slept little

What can you do when this happens?  Just go back at it when you can.  And that is what I did today.

WOD

Stength:  12 minutes to find 7rm full squat cleanl must complete the 7 reps in 45 seconds
WOD:    5 rounds of 3 135 lb power cleans then 20 burpees

Stength: got 130 lbs
WOD:  10:56

Sorry for the weak post.  Have a lot going on with work so finding time to update this has been a struggle.

Happy Birthday CrossFit610!!!!

Although I have only been a part of the CrossFit Community for about 4 months, I want to congratulate Mike and Molly on running a successful box for a year now!   While looking at the pictures this morning at the gym I can't help but be amazed at hoe much progress has been made by everyone at the box.  Huge quantities of fat has been lost and an even larger amount of confidence has been gained by the members.  To those have been with the gym for the full year, congrats on making it that long and on all the changes you've made in your life.  I can't wait to see where I am in one year.

There is a little bit of bittersweetness to today though.  It is trainer Mike's last full day before heading off to open a new box in Long Beach New York.  It's been truly a pleasure (and pain) to train with him.  The gains I've made would have been impossible without his guidance and support through the really tough workouts.  Thank you Mike for all that you've done for me and Karen.  

With that all said, I think we (the members of CrossFit 610)  need to work even harder to show Mike that he's leaving the best bunch of muscle heads in the country...and also to show that Molly is a better trainer than him.
 :-P

In all seriousness, I know we are in great hands with Molly and Evan.  At least half of my progress can be attributed to Molly's tutorage.   I really wish Mike the best at CrossFit King of the Beach.  In fact I already know a day where I might be visiting his new box and I'm a bit excited to see what he's done there.

WOD  


Strength:  3RM Tap and Go full squat cleans
WOD:     365 Burpees. (can do with a partner)

Strength:Well, I am both super happy and super pissed at what happened with the strength today.  The bad news: I could not do 155lbs 3 times in succession because my form when going down breaks down when I use heavy weights.  I wanted to punch the wall when I failed on the third rep of 155.    The good news:  my 1rm was 145 and I was able to do 2 reps of 155lbs. (I think my one rep max might be somewhere in the 165 range now, but it wont go on my list until I actually complete 165) I was also able to go full depth on the squat portion which is a HUGE breakthrough.  It takes some stretching before hand but it can be done.  So my finale completed max weight was 135.

WOD:  are you serious Mike?   So I did 185 burpees of our groups 365 (there were 3 of us).  We completed in 19:55.


Diet


Like my strength, my diet was both good and bad yesterday.  Had eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch...then went to my sisters for her birthday where we had fondue.  The fondue dinner was fine, shrimp, scallops, steak, chicken, brocceli...all great.  Then dessert came out.  Welp..there went that good day.  Had some cookie cake, some rice krispy treat...yeah...stupid.   Gotta work hard this week.