It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas!

Well Christmas is fast approaching and I actually have all my shopping done. I spent one complete day shopping which for me is usually an overstimulating experience. I'm pretty proud of myself I never lost my cool until the drive home. Lethbridge is a relatively small city with a population of 80 000 but I'm sure we've got some the worst drivers in the country.

December 14, 2009

                                                                                                

3 Rounds

500m row

12 Bodyweight Deadlifts (165#)

21 Box Jumps (20")

Time: 8:48

Well I felt pretty good going into this workout. Coach Brandt said "Sean'O this is your workout, you gotta kill this thing." He also talked over my rowing pace with me pre-wod and we settled on a 500m time of 1:50 to 1:55 average for each of the three rows. My average for the 3 rows was around 1:55. Rowing makes or breaks this workout, you can pull a sub 1:40 row but then your legs are toast for the rest of the round. Taller guys have an advantage of stroke length on the rowers but us lightweights have the advantage of the lighter deadlift.  Anyways I crushed this workout going sub 9 min.

December 15, 2009

Lift Day

1RM SQUAT CLEAN

I was excited about this one, I really wanted to rock this one. Coming off a nightshift with 4 hours sleep i headed to the gym excited to throw some weight around. Well i started lifting and felt pretty good, got to 175# and the wheels fell off. My form was garbage, I was trying to power the weight off the floor and wasn't getting full extension at the top. Anyways I shut her down at 175# as my 1RM. I was pretty disapointed but contined to work on some hang cleans and more squat cleans with less weight.

December 18, 2009

"Two a Day"

Interesting Poster although technically we only did 2 workouts in one!!

500 m row and 3RM Split Jerk

Greg Everett, Lifting monster!!

Ok so I'm not a huge fan of sprint rowing but man if you want to push your body to it's limits in less than 2 minutes (less than 1:28 for my buddy Mike) an all out 500m sprint row is the way to do it. I clocked 1:36.5 I had more in the tank at the end of the row, I didn't give it all I had until the last 100m, now I know I can sustain it longer. Coach Brandt said to stick the "split time" on the 250m setting for this distance, I'll try it next time. Sucks ending a workout knowing you could have went a little harder, oh well leaves more room for improvement next time.

The 3RM Split Jerk I managed to get to a shaky 155#. I probably could have done a little more had we not done the row before it. I worked for about 20 minutes afterwards on quick feet with lighter weights. I really need to work on technique of lifts but it's hard to find any time to practice other than in the gym.

Today they are doing Barbara at the gym so I may do it in the garage when I get home.

Until next time Sean'O out!!

Winter Continues and so do the WODS!!

As I said winter continues, we've been below the -30 celcius mark for quite a few days now. Some days reach below -40 celcius with the windchill, so it's nice to have a warm gym to workout in!! Again as a reminder this month's wod's were chosen by the members and the SMA awarness wod is now on our schedule...........YES!! This month is very heavy workoutwise so I may be taking some extra time off depending on how my body is feeling. We have alot of "Named WODS" this month.
My last update was December 3rd spin the bottle, I took a few days off and cranked it up again with a lift day wod on December 8th which was 1RM Clean and Jerk

I managed to get to a 1RM of 175# . My strength on this lift is that I can get under the bar very quickly. My problem was getting out of the "hole" at the bottom of the squat. I am an "ass to grass" squatter which means I go really deep into the squat so my ass is only a few inches off the ground. For a while now I've been trying to stop so that my hip crease is just below the knee preventing me from going too deep. Also I have trouble with upper back strength which one of our coaches pointed out to me and gave me some exercises to strengthen my upper back up with. It seems to cave under heavy weight especially the deadlift.

December 9, 2009

"Dead-Dip"
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Deadlifts (225#)
Ring dips

As you can imagine from the name this WOD was a killer! I modified the deadlift weight to 205# but did the ring dips (I hate modifying workouts but to keep the intensity high sometimes it has to be done). I managed to get a time of 15:something, I fought hard with the deadlifts after the 15 rep set. I'm not sure whether doing that many deadlifts is a good thing as from the 12 rep set on I could feel my back turtling. Ring dips really compound quickly, it doesn't take long before you are doing 2's and 3's.


December 10, 2009

"CINDY"
AMRAP 20 min
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Last time we did "Cindy" I got 16 rounds. I wasn't feeling too great coming in but as the workout progressed I felt better, I just kept going and banged out 20 rounds which I was very happy about. Averaging 1 round/minute is pretty decent. The push-ups are the hardest part for alot of people, one thing that helps with push-ups is letting your body drop on the way down and not guiding it down slowly. I did this and it worked for quite a few rounds before I got really tired.


December 13,2009

"FRAN"
21-15-9
95# Thruster
Pull-ups

What do I say about Fran other than she is my least favorite female so far even though my wifes Grandma's name is Fran she's alot nicer. Last time we did Fran I got 7:19. This WOD gives me massive butterflies a few minutes before we start. This time I managed to get a time of 6:06 which again I am happy with. The worst part of the WOD is working through the set of 15. After doing the set of 21 picking up the thruster bar again it seems like it gained weight, ALOT OF WEIGHT!! 95# doesn't seem like much but for me 95# comprises about 60% of my BWT but also the range of motion on a thruster is huge, similar to the burpee. Remembering also every time you drop the bar you have to clean it up again. I fractioned the thrusters 11-10/5-5-5/3-3-3.Pull-ups Can't remember how I fractioned them. Last time I did 21 straight thrusters, I think that really killed me. After the workout I felt terrible for about 10-15 minutes, usually I recover faster but maybe It's because I'm pushing to a new level. Not really sure.

Well today we are doing "Christine" tomorrow 1RM squat clean so I will update you on how they went.

Until next time Sean'O out!!!

Looking Like A Winter Wonderland

OK again very patchy posting. You have to be patient with me, between work, teaching at the college, crossfit, domestic duties and visiting a family member in the hospital in Calgary every set of days off is keeping me hopping.

Today the weather turned very nasty here in Alberta. My wife and I made a trip to Calgary which is 2 hours north of here (Lethbridge) to visit a family member in the hospital. To make it short it took me 4 hours to make it home and I made it to work just in time. So I'm a bit tired and working so not so happy!!

I'll backtrack to update the last WODs I've participated in.

November 27th

Last day for the monthly challenge, in which I entered the double under contest.



If you recall I had 84 at the beginning of the month and ended up with 112. I came in after a nighshift with no sleep because we were also heading to Whitefish for the weekend. I called my number before I started and met it. I hit like the first 55 or so in a row and then lost my composure. Struggled with the last half. Also this day was a 1RM PushJerk.


(In this picture the girl is holding the weight in the first frame out in front of her chest, you are supposed to have it sitting on your shoulders like a front squat. Imagine trying to hold 200# out in front of you like that!!! The dude even set her up, that's what is more disturbing!!)

I wasn't going to participate in it but how can you help but work it in?? So I did the pushjerk and worked my way up to a 1RM of 195# which I was happy with. I had 200# above my head but couldn't lock out, not sure what happened. Called her a day and went to Whitefish!!




Well this wasn't me in Whitefish but I drank enough "NorCal Margaritas" and "Jagerbombs" to give me a headache the next day. The Crossfit in Kalispell was closed for thanksgiving weekend so I didn't get a chance to check it out.


So at Crossfit Lethbridge we did something really cool!! We all (members) got to submit a WOD for the month of December. Then Coach Brandt took them and distributed them amongst the days in December and made a calendar out of everyones WOD. You should check it out on the Crossfit Lethbridge Site. We are also doing the "BUGABOO" WOD on December 29th, the link at the top of my Blog page explains the whole situation, I'll let you check it out.



Onto December 2nd

3RM DEADLIFT

Wasn't sure what I was going to pull tonight. Felt so-so going in but started pulling some weight and with some coaching from Coach Gillespie (Cory) I ended up pulling a PR of 335# X 3. I was very impressed my last PR was 295# I think it was due to the technique although I was told I had the old "Turtle back" going on, which is not good but who cares once you get the weight up it's all over!!

December 3rd

"Spin the Bottle"



How this works is every member that shows up for the WOD, spins the bottle and whatever it lands on that is one of the exercises we do. Keep in mind the more people that show up the more exercises we do. Then Coach marks them on the board and then puts the number of reps of each exercise up. Every classes is different but this is how ours played out!!




40 Push-ups
30 Pull-ups
20 Kettle bell swings
10 Pull-ups
40 walking lunges
30 Power lunges
20 Handstand push-ups
20 Burpees
30 Handstand push-ups
40 Presses (45#)

I did it in 18:something, I had to modify the last set of Handstand pushups because my shoulders were just cooked. I did however do 20 legit handstand push-ups which is very good for me!! The last 4 exercises were the worst!!


Here is a big Thank You to our friends Mike and Tammy for making us some great healthy food that my wife and I indulged in the other night. It was




















Well that gets you up to date for now, I'm working nights this weekend so I'll try and get a few WOD's done in the garage.

Until Next time Sean'O out!!!

MAYHEM AT HEADQUARTERS!!

THE PLAYERS

"I'm not going to get into it right now"
(I crack myself up)but for those of you who follow my Blog who are not avid crossfitters we had an unfortunate event happen within our "Crossfit Community". Look it up if you are interested, It was the recent black box summit. I just thought I would have some fun with it.

Back to business the past WOD's:

November 23rd

Strength Development Day = Hang Squat Cleans 3-3-3-3-3
















Basically what happens with this lift is you have the weight hanging down around your thighs (holding onto the bar with a hook grip. Stick your ass out with a slight bend forward at the hips. You want to pretend you have a sandbag on your back that you are trying to get off. You are thrusting your hips so that the weight will head straight up in the vertical plane. As you are doing this you are coming up on your toes leaning back of course with straight arms (At no point are you "muscling" the weight with your arms)When the weight is on its way up you "push" yourself down under the bar so you can cushion it on the way down. As you move under the bar you must change your grip so you can catch the weight on your "front rack" position. Once you catch the weight you go down into a full squat position and then stand up. Before this day I had never really done a hang squat clean, as a matter of fact I can only remember once doing a day where we did squat cleans. Normally Coach Brandt would say work to a 3RM on these lift days but instead wanted everyone to work on form. So a heavy set of 3 but keep form in tact. I worked my way up to 3 X 145# . My strength on these lifts is that I'm quick getting under the weight. The quicker you are the less height the weight has to go in the air.


November 24th

AMRAP in 20 Minutes:

10 Chest to deck Pushups
10 Power cleans (95#)

Whenever you see AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) the WOD is gonna hurt!! Seeing 20 minutes really hurts, especially when you put an Olympic lift in the mix!! Even though 95# is relatively light you know in 20 minutes you are going to be doing a whole lot of them, therefore it is key to keep form in tact. Chest to deck push-ups are exactly what it says, chest touches the floor every rep. Yes the chest, not the stomach or knees, the chest. It is amazing how much the extra 4 inches to the ground makes. Well I managed 14 rounds and 9 push-ups which I thought was pretty good. The push-ups were actually the weak link I really fractioned them up. The secret to the AMRAP is just to keep going without stopping at whatever pace you need.


November 26th



SPARTAN 300

25 Pull-ups
50 Deadlifts (135#)
50 Push-ups
50 Box Jumps (24")
50 Floor Wipers (135#) (video's on youtube)
50 35# Kettlebell clean and press (25/arm)
25 Pull-ups

Time 19:10
The last time I did this WOD I got a time of 28:30 (using 95# for the deadlifts and 25# for the clean and press) so a huge improvement. I'm still not elated with the time but I did just get up after a nightshift and head straight into my garage to do this one. It seemed as though things started slowing down at the Box Jumps. To keep the box jumps legit you have to jump and land with your feet completely on the box, standing fully erect at the top. I knew on some of the floor wipers my knees were bent therefore my legs not completely straight like they should be. By the time I got to the clean and press I felt fried, these were sloppy on my part. My legs were fried from the deadlifts/box jumps and my arms were fried from benchpressing the floor wiper weight. Even though the better your form is on the clean and press the faster and more efficient you will get them done. HOWEVER that said, when you are in survival mode the only thing you are thinking about is to keep going and finish up not really worrying about form. By the time I got to the last 25 pull-ups, this is embarassing but I was doing them in 2's and 3's. I had major blood throat and a rug burned back when I was done, couldn't keep the shirt on it was too hot plus I'm too cool. (Yeah right)

Anyways, I'm heading to Whitefish this weekend and Crossfit Flathead in Kalispell is closed (American Thanksgiving) so I may try and hit a gym somewhere and tear it up during the weekend. If not I'll take the weekend off and hit it hard Tuesday night.

Until next time Sean'O out!!!

Back in Action

After a sabbatical of sorts I'm back and ready for action. I have to appologize to my regulars ( if there are any) for keeping you waiting. I've had some unfortunate events happen over the last week that I had to deal with.

Last week we left off on Remembrance day. Well the following WOD (November 12) was a strength day WOD of 5-5-5-5-5 front squats. So 5 sets of 5 reps working to a 5 RM or 5 rep maximum weight. I worked my way up to a 165# (bodyweight) 5 RM which I'm ok with. My legs are my weak link so to speak, I believe it's from the years of running making them week.
Now in Crossfit the is one of the most, if not the most important functional movement in crossfit. Without a technically sound squat you cannot properly do wallballs, front squats, squat cleans, thrusters etc. you get my point I hope. Flexibility is key, you need to be able to sit like you are sitting in a chair with a STRAIGHT TORSO. Your flexibility has to allow you to keep your torso vertical while you sit so your hips are below the crease in your knee.
Notice torso is vertical and hips are at or below the crease in the knee. Bar position in the front squat is right up against your throat sitting on your shoulder muscles NOT your collarbone!!
Feet are shoulder width or a bit wider and feet pointing slightly outwards. The reasoning behind the feet is to activate your outside hip muscles when you make your hip thrust (pop) motion at the top. The more muscles activated in any lift makes it a bit easier. The hand position (bar just resting on the fingers) allows you to keep your elbows straight out. The elbows are pointing straight out and acting as levers, this is very important in helping you keep your torso straight when standing up. The tendancy is to lean forward if your elbows start to drop, this takes the bar out of your center of gravity and puts alot of stress on your lower back when you start leaning forward. So remember to push those elbows out and up on your way up. When you get near the top you pop your hips outward firing your hip muscles for a little extra drive. And you thought a squat looked simple!!

I took the next 5 days off as mentioned above and went back in on November 18th. This WOD kicked my ASS. I'm sure it was because of the stressful weekend I had and a combination of no sleep and a less than favorable diet. The WOD consisted of:

5 Rounds for time:

15 Wallball shots
15 Double unders
15 Kettlebell swings (55#)
Time: 9:56

I got through the first 3 rounds no problem, then I'm not sure what happened, I gassed out ,hit the wall, died any of these will do. First time in along time gassing out on a sub 10 min WOD with no heavy weight in it. No matter how hard I fought the brain had a stranglehold on my body, it wasn't letting me continue at the good pace I had completed the first 3 rounds. I should have been done around 8 min but "should have" gets you nowhere in crossfit. That's one of the beauties of crossfit it humbles EVERYBODY sooner or later.


So Thursday we did a Push/pull day again. We did the Shoulder Press and Weighted pull-ups. The format looked like this:

3 reps of Press
90 sec rest
3 reps of weighted strict pull-up (Palms faced forward arms AT LEAST shoulder width)
120 sec rest
repeat 5 times

Working to a 3RM or 3 rep maximum.

I surprised myself this day pulling a 3RM on the press which was my old 1RM, imagine that. I successfully pressed 132# three times in a row. I also achieved a new 1RM of 134# which also made me happy. If only my legs could start making gains!! As for the strict pull-ups, I went super wide using as much of my lats as possible because on my regular pull-ups my hands are just wider than my shoulders. Coach brought a point up to me a few weeks ago that the wider your hands are apart the less distance you have to pull up therefore less work done. I'm pretty good at my physics......but honestly never thought of it that way. So this is why I'm trying to widen my arms when doing pull-ups and get more lats involved. Anyways I got to about 26# plus bodyweight with the extra wide grip.

So that brings us up to date once again. Tonight I may do a WOD from last week I'll see how I feel when I get home. A clean and jerk/pullup ladder perhaps??

Until next time SEAN'O out!!

THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT FOR THE FREEDOMS WE HAVE TODAY!!!

Yes I know it has been a while so today might be a long post.

November 8th WOD.
I did this one in the garage because I was working nights. The idea behind this WOD is to do 2 sets and try and get similar numbers both times. So basically you do the 4 skills of each set without a break (just long enough to record your numbers) then you get a 2 minute rest. I found that the 2 minutes was plenty of time for getting your breathe back but not long enough for muscle recovery. This was a punishing workout, whenever you are doing As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) you are going to failure or your form breaks down. My numbers are to the right (all pull-ups had to be strict = no kipping)

"PUSH and PULL/abs"











1.) Push-up 30/11 (Last skills day I had 45 in a row)
2.) Wide Front Pull-up 8/4 (12 is PB)
3.) Military Push-up 10/6
4.) Reverse Grip Pull-up 5/4

2min Rest

5.) Dips any style 15/16 Box dips with feet on chair
6.) Knee ins 57/46
7.) Side Tricep Push-up 9/6
8.) Chair pose 37sec/38sec

2min Rest

9.) Close Grip Pull-up 8/6
10.) Diamond Push-ups 11/9
11.) Mix Grip Switch Pull-up 3/3
12.) Decline push-ups 5/5


November 9th WOD was "Quick and Dirty"




For time:
400m sprint row
15 Burpees
15 -115# Thrusters
15 Jumping Pull-ups
30 Sit-ups

I clocked 5:08 but should have been under 5 min. When I went from Burpees to Thrusters I paused way too long. I thought the Thrusters would be harder than they were. I warmed up with 115# and it seemed not too bad then either, must have just psyched myself out. Let me tell you Rowing, Burpees and Thrusters are 3 of the deadliest exercises there are. Coupling them together luckily there was only one round. Burpees for bodyweight is probably the best all around exercise there is, it has the furthest range of motion of any bodyweight movement. The rower, it looks innocent sitting there doesn't it?? What it does to people in just over a minute is devastating, when they say sprint row they mean SPRINT ROW!! Of course thrusters........well you are taking 115#, squatting down, squatting up and then thrusting the weight over your head to lock out. Need I say more?? I broke the thrusters up into 5's. Jumping pull-ups and Sit-ups I went straight through on but couldn't get sub 5min.


November 10th WOD

21-15-9 plus 30 double unders at the end of each round.










BWT deadlifts (for me my bodyweight is 165# it pays to be light sometimes!!)
Ring Dips
Ball-slams

I clocked 8:36

I'll explain how the 21-15-9 works. The first "round" you do 21 of each exercise then 30 double unders, the second "round" is 15 of each exercise then 30 double unders then the round of nine. Well I burned through this WOD like reckless abandon until I hit my friends the double unders. I've been struggling with these for a long time, my form is really bad. To remedy this I am going to do AMRAP double unders in 2 min every day.


Today's WOD was a "HERO WOD" for Remembrance day.


"MURPH" After Michael Murphy (US Navy Seal) who died in Afghanistan in 2005 age 29. (RIP friend)






For Time:

1 mile run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1mile run

The kicker to this one............wearing a 20# weighted vest to do it required.

We did it in teams of 3, when we were running we had to pass around a 25# plate between the team members. When we got inside we could split up the exercises the way we wanted to. Our team just took turns (only one person could go at a time) we went through in order doing 100 pull-ups,200 push-ups then 300 squats, as many as we could do then the next person would go.


A "COOL" thing our gym is doing right now to help with skill development is having a "50/50 challenge". Basically how it works is every month the coaches come up with 2 skills which they feel people need to develop and everyone has the opportunity to sign up. It costs $10 and the person that "IMPROVES" the most for that skill (%age wise) over the month takes 50% of the money. This month it is AMRAP pull-ups and AMRAP double unders. I joined the AMRAP double unders as more incentive to improve mine.

Now that we are updated, I will try and find something interesting to talk about next time I post. I have an idea for next time, it has to do with taking more supplements. I start back on days tomorrow so it'll be a late post if I am able.
Until next time..........Sean'O out!!

"PUSHING IRON AND BLASTING METAL"

Well as far as I'm concerned a garage WOD doesn't get any better than "IRON" and "METAL"!! Lifting iron and blasting metal what an afternoon. Today's WOD was the Push Press 5sets of 5 reps working to a maximum weight. I raised my carcass out of bed about 1pm, turned on the garage heater (to warm up the iron) and made myself a protein shake. Headed to the garage turned on the tunes and warmed up. Did a few light sets of the push press because I didn't really know where to start for weight, Coach Brandt wanted us to go up by 5 or 10 pounds per set reaching our 5RM by the 4th or 5th set. So I started at 115# went by 10# increments and ended up getting to a 5RM of 165#. I took 4-5 minute breaks (Some people take longer) between sets which is a must when doing reps for maximum weight, you want to make sure you use everything you have each set. I tried 170# but could only squeak out 3 decent ones. It took me 6 sets instead of 5 to get to my 5RM but I got there. I'm happy with this, hoisting your bodyweight over your head 5 times with just a hip thrust is pretty decent.
I videoed myself today and need to concentrate on staying back on my heels a bit more. I had a tendancy to shift forward and push with my toes which causes the bar path to get out of the vertical plane. If you push your ass back while keeping a straight back and just using a slight hip pop the bar path should be straight up. Mine was a bit out front and then up. This wastes part of the hip pop and puts more strain on the shoulders as they are pressing more, basically the hip pop energy should be exerted straight up that way taking stress off the shoulders.
So this is night 2/3 for me, I will be doing another garage WOD tomorrow. I'm not sure which one I'll do, it pretty much depends on the weather. We have had high winds the last couple days so if it is windy I will most likely be doing a WOD I missed last week which can all be done inside. Unless tomorrows tech day WOD is something I can do in my garage.
Before the WOD as part of my warm-up I worked on my circle kip for my pull-ups. I think I have the hang of it which is good because they look way more efficient than the ones I do now. Can't wait to see what happens when I get proficient enough to use them in WOD's.
Until next time Sean'O out!!

A WEEKEND OF NIGHTS!!

Well I'm working nights all weekend so that means garage WOD's Saturday and Sunday. Which is fine because I missed one earlier in the week and one Friday that I can do at home. Friday I stayed home and tended to my wife who was pretty ill but Thursday I did go in and do the WOD. The workout was a technical skills day and was the following:
A1)OHS (overhead squats) 5X5 (5sets of 5reps)
A2)Toes to bar 5X1131 (1 sec to top 1sec hold 3 sec down 1 sec at the bottom)

So we did 1 set of OHS and rested 30sec and did one set of the toes to bar, we did 5 sets of that. That was the first half of the workout. After 2 minutes of rest from the first half the second half was:
B1) 60 Push-ups for time (1:22)Started having trouble about 45
B2) 60 Hanging back extensions for time (1:37)
B3) 60 Modified GHD situps for time(3:10) fell off the ball
B4) Pull-up hang (palms facing away from body), forehead to bar for time (:52)

GHD sit-ups (pictured left)are very tough and so are the Toes to bar(T2B), great for core development. Since it was a skill development day I went light on the OHS (115#) so I could get a good feel for them.

To start November off our head coach Chad Brandt started a new 3 and 1 program. We will now be doing 2 crossfit workouts separated by a strength development day. I'm a huge fan of our Coach's programming, it has worked wonders for me. I'm pretty excited about having one dedicated strength development day since that is what I really need. That's about all I have for now, like I said I will be doing a few garage WOD's this weekend so I'll keep you posted. (No pun intended)
Until next time Sean'O out.

The "CAGED ANIMAL"

Ok so this is day 3 of my "rest period" and as the picture and title describe, I'm feeling like a caged animal right now. Or another way to describe it is a crackhead without his crackpipe. I'm "Jonesing" for a WOD especially after seeing a "HangPowerclean" lift day disapear before my eyes. Even though I worked today I really would've liked to hit this one, yesterday's looked enticing too. Yeah I know it's crazy to think I wouldn't enjoy a few days off from crossfit but I don't. I'm addicted, it makes me feel so bad but yet so good after. To see familiar faces and go to battle!! (How dramatic) Lift days are the ones I really need. Being a runner pre-crossfit made me pretty weak, got the cardio of a horse but little strength.

Last night my wife and I (That's not us in the picture) had about a 30-45 minute session of stretching and rolling, I don't have a stiff muscle left. Feel great today, maybe I'll go back for a WOD tomorrow after work that way I can get 3 in before the weekend, I'm working nights this weekend so I'm screwed for Saturday and Sunday WODS.

I wish I could describe what a positive spin crossfit has put on my life. It is a lifestyle, I've changed the way I eat, the way I think, the people at my gym are family we all want to see each other succeed and progress to our goals. I'm in the best shape of my life at age 37, I'm stronger, faster and better than I've ever been and there is still LOTS of room to improve. For my friends that read my blog and are not part of crossfit I strongly urge you to try it. It'll definetly be a part of my kids life someday, whether it be at home or at the gym they will be doing WOD's. Too many sick people in the world today with too many EXCUSES!! Read the article in the "Crossfit Journal" about the female firefighter, tell me that's not a success story, no Excuses there. Anyways that's enough for now. To WOD tomorrow or not???
Until next time SEAN'O out!!

Rest, Rolling and Stretching

As "OPT" puts it best "KNOW PAIN, KNOW GAIN"


Today is the second day of rest for me from working out. I'm probably going to restart on Friday because that's when the first 3 and 1 starts again. There comes a time when you have to shut it down and just take some time off, my body picked Sunday as the perfect day. I was starting to get extremely stiff and could feel my overall body recovery suffering(With the H1N1 flue going around I don't want to bash my immune system too badly). Again I can't stress the importance of a good diet but you also need your rest. Shiftwork tends to be tough, I find it extremely difficult to nap before I start my nightshifts, this puts me behind on sleep many hours. It is important while working nights to keep things consistent such as eating and sleeping times. When I'm on nights I may eat a bit extra just to compensate for the lack of sleep and even though I may not feel hungry I still eat at my regular times. Everybody is different you MUST find what works best for you.

Rolling and stretching are very important parts of any exercise and should be part of your daily routines. At our gym we regularly roll and stretch to loosen tight muscles. I started rolling when I used to run marathons, my "IT" bands would get really tight. (IT band runs down the side of your leg from your hip to your knee) They got so tight that my right side started pulling on my knee and put me into physio which was the beginning of the end of my running. So rolling and stretching are very important. A foam roller like the one in the picture you can usually pick up from a physio office for about $20-$30, they last forever so it's pretty cheap. It should come with a list of exercises/rolls which you can do for different muscle groups.

Today I am just cleaning up halloween decorations and cooking food to get ready for the next few days at work. I'm doing some stretching and rolling as my lower body is pretty tight.
Until next time Sean'O out!