Forging Forward and Updating the Past

To whomever may be coming across my blog or active followers. It has been a pretty rough year for my wife and I, and it is finally starting to come back on track. I took the summer off of Crossfit to focus on personal issues and just an overall break. That said lets update:

The last weekend in August I attended the Level 1 Crossfit Certification in Calgary, Alberta. I received my level one certification and am now starting to coach at our Crossfit affiliate. I'm honored to have the opportunity to coach at our gym, I believe we have a great knowledge base amongst our coaches and there are always training opportunities available.I also got the honor of attending an olympic weightlifting coaches certification course our affiliate owner set up for us at our gym this month. November 27-28th we are getting a "Functional Movement" course at our affiliate. The training is available to us so I am taking full advantage of it.

I recently read Robb Wolf's book "The Paleo Solution". It's a must read to learn about the science behind eating, sleeping and exercise. I'll say no more other than buy it or borrow it but do read it.
I am in the process of reading "Good Calories Bad Calories" by Taubes. It's a good one too, it is basically explaining how we got swindled into believing in a shitty food guide set out by our government, USA included.

I'm slowly but surely getting back into the WOD's full scale, boy weights sure seem heavy. There are alot of new members now that I'm back and coaching I'm really gonna have to concentrate on names and faces, faces I'm good at names not so much.

Lately I've been sourcing alot of paleo recipes and have been cooking alot, I'm going to start sharing recipes and giving you my $.02 on them.

Recipe of the week:

http://www.tastypaleo.com/recipe/1555/

All I can say is these green beans kicked ass. My wife and I both liked them I highly recommend them. The site has some pretty good recipes on it, and of course good for you.



RECENT WODS:

October 28, 2010

50-40-30-20-10
Lunges
Sit-ups (unanchored)
Between each set 20 close grip push-ups
Time: 12:37

Close grip push-ups were singles in the last set, lunges and sit-ups were unbroken.


October 29,2010

Deadlift (Wendler style) 3 X 5rep with last set being AMRAP
Rowing 30seconds of work followed by 1 min of rest X 10 sets counting total meters = 1535m
AMRAP pushups

This day was a pretty off day for me. Either my mind wasn't in it or I've developed an allergy to lifting heavy $hit off the ground. The deadlifts seemed massively heavy and I completely forgot about the pushups. Heaviest set of 5 I could muster today was 275# which was completely disapointing. A few weeks back i couldn't get 345# off the ground......must be mental......I'll get there again after all my buddy Mike has a 1RM well over 400# now and I used to only be about 15 or 20# behind so I have some catching up to do.

October 30, 2010

Working nights so I missed the WOD today, but because I coach I have a key to the gym so I went in the afternoon and did a pile of Overhead squats.

OHS
3sets X 5reps
115#-125#-135#Fail only got 2 - 125#

I did alot of warm-up reps, I should have got 135# but my shoulders were quivering and tired and I think my core isn't as strong as it once was. My legs have alot more in them just core and shoulders.Again.......I'll get back there.

Until next week Sean'O out!

Missing.......NOT..........New Banner..........Lots of good news!!

I'm back to blogging, got a push from a well respected mentor who also made my awesome new banner. Thanks Big G. I will not catch up with all the WOD's we've done since January however I will update you on the new happenings with me and our Crossfit Lethbridge gym.

Our gym has gone to a strength bias program which consists of:
Week1
Monday,Wednesday, Friday
5RM of a particular lift plus a metcon to follow

Week 2
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
3RM Same lifts as previous week plus metcon

Week 3
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
1RM Same lifts as previous week plus metcon

Reset with a new 3 Week cycle. I'm so excited about this I can hardly contain myself. This is coming from a guy who 2 years ago wasn't interested in the strength training............WHAT was I thinking??

Of course Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday are regular WOD days. They have also set up Yoga on Sunday which is awesome especially for the less flexible.

One of the owner/coaches has just organized an endurance team which will be learning the "pose" method of running, myself included. David, talked me into it promising me breakneck speed if I stuck with his training.

I'm really responding to the layout of the programming, i'm setting new PR's quite frequently as well as alot of people in the gym. It's very exciting to see the progressions myself and other people are making.

Our coaches have received lots of great training, we have a very well rounded coaching staff check out the link for their accolades, it is very impressive, and always expanding.

Our website has a great new look, our gym has been getting new equipment, we are seeing new faces all the time, things are fantastic at CFLA.

More exciting news, three of our athletes went to the sectional qualifiers for the games and tore it up, one of them going through to the nationals.

This is Heather, she is one of the owner/coaches at CFLA. She finished 2nd overall in the Central Canadian Sectionals, winning the final WOD I might add. Congratulations Heather.

This is Carlee, she is one of our athletes at CFLA and gave it her all representing us and making us proud finishing 31st out of 47 women. Way to go Carlee.

This is Kris, he is the nomad of CFLA commuting between Lethbridge and Fort McMurray for work. He took part in the sectionals on short notice, I'm talking a few days notice. He is an incredibly strong individual physically and mentally, let me say this, with no preparation training he finished 18th overall just missing the top 15 cut. I'll leave it at that.







We had one more athlete, Big G Pictured below (Cory/Heathers Husband) who couldn't take part because he required knee surgery which he has received and is limping around the gym but still coaching. He is ultra-competitive and knows how to get the best out of people.

So with a final note I will be taking my Crossfit Level 1 Certification in August. The coaches are saying it is a pretty general overview but I'm all about new experiences. If things go right I would also like to participate in the Sectionals next year for the experience. I have alot of work to do in the strength areas but "Rome wasn't built in a day".

until next time.......Sean'O out.

Countdown to Hawaii!!

Well my wife and I and her sister and husband are heading to Hawaii for some R and R. We are heading to Kona for a week. Planning on hitting some nice beaches, fishing and a helicopter ride so far. Since the nearest Crossfit is in Hilo (160 km/100mi) it's doubtful we will be stopping in.

It's been a while for a post but I've again been really busy, we had a shift change at work and I put an extra day in at the college as to not fall behind in my hours of instruction. Updating my crossfit WOD's

January 15, 2010

Power Cleans
5-5-3-3-2-1
         +
Row 150m = 26.3 sec
rest 30 sec
Row 200m = 36.7 sec
rest 45 sec
row 350m = 67.9 sec

I got to 175# on the Power cleans, I started arm curling the weight so I shut her down. Once the bad form starts, it's good to shut it down as to not gain bad habits in oly lifting. As for the rowing I was pretty happy with the results there.


January 16, 2010

21-15-9
Push Jerk 115#
Knees to elbows
Run approx 400m between each set

I'm bad!! I cannot find my time anywhere. This WOD was tough on the forearms more than anything. I used a kip swing doing the knees to elbows it makes them alot quicker. The Push Jerk got heavy fast, it was a great WOD nonetheless and a great test.


January 18, 2010 

15-12-10-8
60% of 1RM Overhead Squats
Chest to Bar Pull-ups

Time: 11:10 modified weight to 95#

This WOD completely kicked my ass!! First time I've done OHS in a workout and it showed the lack of practice I have had. That's the beauty about crossfit, it exposes weaknesses in everyone once in a while and when it does it really exposes you!! I was one of the worst times on this one. Overhead squats are very dependent on your mid-line stability and keeping the weight over your ankles at all times. The upper body has your shoulders being active like a shrug action and your arms are trying to pull the bar apart.

January 20, 2010

Push Press
3-3-3-3
      +
Learning the Turkish Get-Up

Well i worked my way up to a 3RM of 175# and we learned how to do a Turkish Get-up today. I managed to get 2/3 reps with 180# but just couldn't quite get it up. The Turkish Get-up emphasizes balance, strength and coordination. It looks alot more complex than it is but a very functional movement.



So my wife and I are talking over whether or not I can get my level 1 crossfit certification. There is a certification at Crossfit Calgary on May 1st, 2nd. I could then maybe help out at the gym with some coaching and running classes. It would be fun and a good learning experience to get other point of views on different Crossfit movements. I'll keep you updated on the verdict, it'll be at least a week until my next post so until then Sean'O out!!!

How important is DIET?? Millions of years of history tell us.

The New Evolution??

Funny?? Maybe at first glance, but lets get serious here!! The new leading risk of death in North America is Obesity which has surpassed Smoking. Yes, I heard it on the radio a few days ago.

I'm not going to preach, I'm just going to tell you a bit about my diet and some links to resources to read about healthy eating/living choices. Movies such as "Supersize Me" come immediately to mind, those who may be reading this MUST watch that movie, it'll blow your mind!!


When I first started crossfit I was 175# with about 30% bodyfat (heaviest I ever was = 225# = Obese for my height and % bodyfat). For years previous I ate what I thought was good food, of course I had my fair share of junk food, potatoe chips and pop were my absolute weakness. As part of the training at our local crossfit gym we get offered nutrition courses that we can buy into, when I took it I think it was $75 (The zone diet). It turns out that it will be a lifelong investment, not just because of that particular class but it opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at food. I'm not going to get into explaining the "zone diet" the link above will.
For over a year I weighed and measured food according to the zone diet and it was working fantastic for my performance and leaning me out (165# @ 5-10% bodyfat). However I recently found out I was eating far more food than I needed to ......I'll explain. Some people at our gym were experimenting with a "Paleolithic Diet" which in the simplest terms is the Caveman Diet:

My buddy Mike (Nutrition Guru and Avid Crossfitter) yes i've mentioned him several times before but he is like a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Performance Nutrition and lots of other stuff........ Anyways he started the "Paleolithic Movement" (for lack of a better phrase) at our gym. I asked him one day what and how he ate, He replied: "It's nothing special I just eat good whole food when i'm hungry until i'm full"........Ok that sounds simple but what is "Whole Food"? The pyramid above is proportioned the "Paleo" way although more vegetables than fruit is the true pyramid. Anyways so I got to reading some of the many good sites on the paleolithic methods of eating and started following them. I started eating less, cut out grains, cut out dairy(although right now I do drink milk but I'm trying to gain about 10 pounds), cut out pasta, and started getting more fussy about the carbohydrate and fat sources in my diet. So in a nutshell High Protein/High Fat /Low Carbohydrate diet. Right now I take in about 1gram/pound of bodyweight of protein per day (165g) about 80-100 grams of carbohydrates and probably a couple hundred grams of fat per day. On the Zone = 147g protein, 189g carbs, lots of fat). The modified paleo is working great for me, my crossfit numbers are continually getting better, i'm not eating all the time and I feel great. One thing about eating well is that your body sure lets you know when you feed it a load of "shit"!!!

So like I said I'm not preaching just making people aware that modern day eating habits have turned North America into the "fattest continent" in the world. I won't explain the benefits of Paleolithic eating but let you seek out the information on your own, after all I'd just be plagerizing someone elses work. Check out the links to various blogs on my site and look up people like: Robb Wolf, Dr. Loren Cordain (The Paleo Diet), Mikes linked blog above. Find out how and why this diet benefits us at a nutritional level and what "Whole Foods" are. You'll find out in your research that the food guides set out by our governments really aren't healthy at all. I'm not telling anybody what to do but there are choices out there and even if following diets isn't for you;  just be more picky in your choices.

After all Millions of years of "Hunting and Gathering" and "Surviving" couldn't have been wrong!!!!

New lifting shoes.......YEAH!!

Well today I received my new lifting shoes just in time because tomorrow is "crossfit total" day at our gym. I'm taking the attitude that I should have the proper equipment to do a proper job, therefore after alot of procrastination I decided to finally purchase some, after all this was my birthday gift from my wife so I finally  cashed in. Last time we did front squats I tried on a pair of Coach Fyfe's Nike Romaleo's. They increase the stability of your feet massively and also have an elevated heel to help with form and pushing from the heels during lifts. I chose the "Do-Wins" made by Pendlay Barbell mainly because they are affordable but also because they are sold by "Catalyst Athletics" a well known olympic lifting training center (among other athletic training).

So I took a some time off around new years to visit some family out of town. My first WOD back was:

January 4, 2010

"A case of the Mondays"

5-5-5-5
Front Squat
       +
3 rounds of:
10 Pull-ups
15 Push-ups
20 Sit-ups (un-anchored)
30 Squats

This day I used Coach Fyfe's lifting shoes. On the front squat I worked up to a 5 RM  PB of 170#. I really have to work on my strength training, it is quite weak. I'm trying to lift heavier weight working up to a 5RM. As for the WOD I clocked a time of 4:50. Un anchored sit-ups are difficult to do but they do isolate the abs where as anchored sit-ups you can use a bit of legs.


January 5, 2010

"Hockey Night in Canada"

5min row for distance
4 minute rest
5min row for distance



1st row: 1366m
2nd row: 1287m

This was a difficult WOD, I chose to just pick a constant pace and stick with it. Some people chose to do intervals such as 30 seconds full out and then a slow active row for 30 seconds and repeat for the full 5 minutes. My strategy seemed to work for me, I'm happy with my distances since rowing is not a strength of mine.


January 6, 2010

3-3-3 Deadlift
          +
5 rounds of:
10 Pushpress @ 75#
15 Powerlunges/leg

Deadlifts I never managed to get a 3RM today I did 315#-325#-325#X2. I am pulling more overall weight although the last rep on the 3rd set the bar started to slip so I had to let it go. As for the WOD I clocked a time of 5:12. The power lunges are a very difficult exercise, basically instead of doing a normal walking lunge you stay in the same spot and power out of a lunge getting air and then coming down with the opposite knee down and leg forward all throught the movement keeping your chest high. My legs were thrashed after this one, round 2 they started to really get fatigued, the push presses were pretty managable only being 75#.


January 9, 2010

"Saturday WOD"

AMRAP Bodyweight Backsquats(Approx 20 reps)
Rest 4 minutes

AMRAP Kettlebell swings

Well there was no way I was getting 20 backsquat reps at bodyweight, especially since the night before I had indulged in a few too many "Norcal Margaritas". I scaled it down to 115# and did 31 reps. As for the kettlebell swings I managed to get 18reps. Again if I had been feeling a little better I probably would have done a bit better. By the way that kettlebell is really that big!!







January 11, 2010

4 Rounds for time:

10 Power Rows @ 155#
76 Fist Twists
10 Kettlebell Swings @ 70.5#

I Scaled the weight on the Power rows to 135#. Power rows start with the weight on the ground in the deadlift starting position and once the weight is brought past the knees it is thrusted violently to the bottom of the chest as in the diagram. Fist Twists are when you are sitting on the floor with your legs extended off the floor and you clasp your hands together and move them on either side of your hips striking the back of the hand each time on the floor going back and forth. On this WOD I clocked 7:37. The fist twists were tough as well as the last set of power rows, the kettle bells didn't feel too bad for me today.



This week I am working straight nights until Friday morning so I should be able to update every day this week. I would like to talk a little about how I have changed my diet and how it has affected my performance and such, just in case anyone is interested.
Until next time Sean'O out!!!

A New Year is Upon Us!!

2010 is here and it is time to re-evaluate and re-establish new goals for a new year. After an exceptional year of training, dieting and performance it is going to be extremely hard to top 2009. I believe that the most significant gains are going to come if I concentrate on strength gain this year. My buddy Mike has summed up goals on his latest post to a tee so I won't bother.


I'll get us caught up once again starting with:

December 21, 2009

Gut Check

8 Rounds:
300m Row
AMRAP pushups
2 min rest

This WOD was a killer. I'm not a strong/efficient rower by any means so this one was tough, I felt like quitting after round 5. My row times (setting 5 on concept 2 rower) followed by push-ups were:
55.9s/38
58.9s/29
63s/17
66.5s/17
65s/17
67.8s/17
67.9s/17
64.3s/18

December 22, 2009

It's a Thinker

For Time:
30 225# Deadlifts
30 Handstand Pushups
6:46
The kicker to this one is you can fraction in any number you want but how ever many deadlifts you do in a row you have to do that many Handstand pushups without fail. Example if you start a set with 5 deadlifts you must do 5 handstand pushups. If you do 5 deadlifts and only manage 4 handstand pushups you must start over on that set of deadlifts and not count the previous 5 deadlifts or 4 handstand pushups. I chose to do it in 2's as my handstand pushups are the weak link here. Coach Brandt wanted us to do "Good" reps in this WOD, concentrating on form.


December 29, 2009

"Bugaboo" Wod or SMA awareness WOD

200 Thrusters for time (Required) (75#)
AMRAP thrusters in 10 minutes
AMRAP thrusters in 15 minutes

Our gym decided to take part in this WOD to support the cause of SMA. Coach Gillespie was the first to tackle it and decided to put a few "scaled" versions as to not render the clients immobile. I chose to do the AMRAP 10 minutes and it is a good thing because I really didn't know how to attack this one. I managed 97 reps in 10 minutes. If I were to do the full 200 I would have probably done it in 5's with a small break in between. As it was I started with 20 then a few sets of 10 then down to 5's and at the end 3's. I got to about 70 and was just gassed. I think this WOD needs to be done at a steady controlled pace. This one affected me for days after, my legs were very sore, could also be because of my recent inactivity as well.


So over the next couple days I'm going to come up with some goals and expectations for the new year. I think this poster sums up what "Crossfit" is all about. It challenges you physically and mentally making you stronger every WOD. For the new people don't let Crossfit be like a "new years resolution" and fade after a month or so, give it a chance trust me on this!!

So in my mind you have two options, you can be

Or you can test your

And become stronger physically and mentally!!

Until next time Sean'O out!!!

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!!