Sprint once in a while

Primal law #5

Sprint once in a while.

Workout of the day

30 sec max effort sprints x 8

The weather has been pretty good lately. Today was sunny and warm. I felt like today was a great day to run some sprints and just be outside. My house is on a pretty quite street as far as not having tons of traffic. I just sprinted in the street. I could get about a block and a half in 30 secs. I would rest for about 90 secs before sprinting again. I did not jog I just walked and rested. Your body needs long periods of rest after short intense sprinting.

Benefits of sprinting:

It is natural. The human body has evolved over time to cover short distances as fast as possible. This evolution helped our ancestors catch their food and escape from possibly being food. Civilization has evolved so that humans do not have to sprint. That does not mean we shouldn't.

Sprinting will reduce body fat. Sprinting requires maximum recruitment of muscles. More muscle requires more energy. Thus burning more fat for longer periods of time.

Sprinting naturally increases Human Growth Hormone. Human growth hormone increases muscle mass, enhances the immune system, promotes weight loss through fat loss and increases stamina.

Sprinting strengthens your cardiovascular system. We strengthen our muscles by doing heavy, low repetition sets with long rests. We should strengthen our hearts the same way.

Sprinting can be fun. Especially when we are playing a game or competing with friends.

I am not saying you need to sprint all the time. Just once in a while. Your body will need plenty of rest after sprints so you should wait about 72 hours before sprinting again.

Can you carry it home?

I have been reading this terrific book called The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. This book is opening my mind up to a world that is purposeful hidden from the everyday consumer. So many issues that we are blinded from. Issues everyone should be conscious of. Mono cultures of food crops. What does organic really mean? Why is there so much corn in all the items we eat? How much fossil fuel energy does it cost us to grow crops and have crops shipped all around the world? So that we can eat asparagus and blueberries all year around. What is the difference between Industrial agriculture and local agriculture economies. How do you justify the steak house? Should we as humans be eating meat and so much of it? Would you eat that steak tonight if you knew where is was slaughtered and how it was raised? So many issues concerning the omnivore's dilemma.

In the latest chapter that I have read, the author talks about the omnivore's dilemma concerning hunter gatherer. Can you kill your own food and eat it. There is a larger debate in this chapter. The one thought that got me motivated for today's workout was about moments after the kill. Once you kill your prey you still need to get meat to your home so that you can dress the kill and get the meat ready for cooking and storing. I thought this point is perfect for the primal way of exercising. In this chapter the author has just killed a 190 lbs wild pig. He and his hunting companion have to drag and carry the thing all the way back to their starting spot. Plus hoist the thing from a sturdy oak tree branch to dress it.

I wanted to put together a fun workout that simulates this situation.

2 rounds

Push my car 100 meters

50 double under

Pull my car 100 meters

25 burpees

I attached some straps to the rear bumper of the car so I could pull it. After pushing the car 100 meters my quads were blown. this made the double unders so difficult. The pulling was not as hard as I expected it to be. I was able to get a pretty good rhythm and focus on the breathing and go. The burpees just keep getting easier and easier for me. Not sure why. I think it has to do with fear. I was so afraid of them in the beginning. Now that I have a few thousand under my belt they are not that big of a deal any longer. I did both sets unbroken. A fun workout that has some of the primal blueprint. Pushing a car for exercise is really interesting. Mostly because so many people will stop and try to help you thinking that you are having car trouble or something. I always enjoy the look on their faces when I tell them I am just training. Check the ego and go get primal.

Lunch break

Workout of the day

Lunch break stairs

5 rounds with heavy back pack

10 jump squats

run stairs to top of parking garage

10 clapping push ups

I had to work a double shift today. The restaurant I work at is across the street from a 5 story parking garage. This place has stairs all the way to the top. On my lunch break I decided to get a quick workout in. I grabbed my back pack full with my climbing gear. I alternated the stairs. One run I would go every other the next hitting every step. Keeping my backpack on for the jumping squats and the clapping push ups. This workout went pretty quick. I finished just under 12 minutes.

Workout of the Day

Workout of the Day

15 minute amrap of

5 sandbag clean and jerks (over a tree branch)

5 shuttle sprints ( 10 yrds down and back x5)

I think I finished with 8 rounds and 4 of SB clean and jerks over the tree branch. I lost count early and just rounded down. the weather was a little warmer today and the sun was out. All of the ice and snow has melted off of the sidewalks. The shuttle sprints were just ten yards down and back five times. A hundred yards total. I started to suck wind after the 4th. This made the sandbag c&j's harder.

The Sand bag has been sitting out in the snow and is now wet and a bit heavier. I found a tree in the park that had a low branch. The branch was just out of full reach. So in order to get the sandbag over the branch i really had to commit to throwing this bag up and over. Pretty much like a wall ball but not as high and a little more effort because of the weight of the sand bag.

The Shuttles definitely got me winded. The Sand bag c&j's were kind of a rest but not really.

I have really enjoyed being outside training besides the cold and the snow. Honestly I can't wait for the summer. This photo is my goal for the summer.

For core work I did six rounds of one minute plank hold variations with one minute rest between rounds. The first minute I held plank for one minute. After one minute rest I held plank for one minute with the left leg up. Rest one minute. Hold plank for one minute with the right arm up. Rest one minute. Hold plank for one minute with the right leg up. Rest one minute. Hold plank for one minute with the left arm up. Rest one minute. Hold Plank for one minute.

Run, Climb, Repeat

Workout of the Day

With 25 lb. back pack

Run 800 meters

3 rope climbs 15 ft

Run 600 meters

2 rope climbs 15 ft

Run 400 meters

1 rope climb 15 ft

I stuffed a bunch of my climbing gear into my small back pack. Weighed about 25 lbs. Jogged up to the park with my Rope. I found a nice high branch on a solid tree in the center of the park.

I felt great this whole workout. Legs felt strong and I felt light and fast. I have never attempted to do weighted rope climbs before. Definitely challenging but I felt strong. There is about a foot of snow on the ground from the last couple of days. Was a little bit more fun with this added element.

I live on a hill with the park on the top half. For the runs I always had to go down the hill and then back up. With the snow on the ground this made going up the hill more challenging. My feet could not really get a solid purchase in the snow and I would slip requiring so much more effort. I was so excited leading up to this workout I didn't even think to bring a watch. I don't know what my time was but I felt strong during the runs and the climbs and that is all that matters. Felt great to get outdoors and have some fun.

Workout of the Day

Five rounds for a time of :

10 wall climbs

10 toes to bar

20 box jumps

This is a main site crossfit wod posted a few days ago. I thought it looked like fun. I couldn't wait to give it a try. Wasn't sure what the wall climbs were all about until I watched a couple of videos of the rock stars of crossfit cruising through this workout.

I finished in just under 16 mins. I had fun the whole time. This was a real creative and fun workout that was still challenging.

To see a video of this workout click here.

On a side note. I have been reading this great book called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Incredible book! Please check this book out.

Workout of the Day

3 rounds for a time

50 double unders

30 kettle bell swings

15 GHD sit ups

Finished in 11 mins 07 secs

I was so stupid sore today. Legs and arms are toast. As well as energy. I tried to get as much sleep as possible last night. Somewhere around 9 hours. Even so I had a hard time getting primed for this workout. I spent a good 15 minutes on a solid dynamic warm up. I wasn't feeling it today so I backed off a little.

I don't actually have a kettle bell. I took my straps from my gymnastic rings and cinched it up tight around the middle of my sandbag. The bag weighs about 40 lbs. This worked pretty well.

I used the other strap to put around a picnic table in the park. I could just put my feet under the strap and lower off the end of the table to do the sit ups. Not a great performance today. This was a nice evening to be outside at the park getting a little workout in. I hope that with more rest I will feel better.

"Murph"

"Murph"

Run 1 mile

100 pull ups

200 push ups

300 squats

Run 1 mile

I have avoided this crossfit wod like it was the plague. Something about it just scared the hell out of me. Fortunately for me I have some seriously bad ass friends. One of whom had an impressive day with this wod. My friends fearlessness and impressive performance motivated me to give this wod a shot. What a way to start the new years off. Facing my fears and conquering Murph. Actually I am not at all sure who conquered who here. I finished in 57 min and 24 secs. After finishing I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck. I am going to be sore as hell tomorrow.

The first mile was ok for me. I finished in 8 min 04 sec. I decided to do this workout Angie style. Finishing each exercise before moving on to the next. The pull ups I did in five sets. 35/25/20/13/7 . My arms were toast after this. I decided to just plug away at the push ups 25 at a time until I finished. This took so much longer than I had anticipated. The squats were just insane. I did 80 on the first set hoping to get to 100. Just enough doubt creeped into my head to stop me at 80. I broke the rest up like this 50/50/40/30/25/25. The last mile was arguable one of the most difficult miles I have ever attempted to run. Nothing seemed to work on my body. Save for my brain just kept screaming at me to stop this nonsense. I finally finished with a 10 minute mile.

I am glad to have finally sucked it up a little and completed this workout. Next time I might try this with 20 rounds of cindy or 10 rounds of double cindy.

These longer endurance workouts are my Nemesis. I hate them but I know they are necessary. I feel so much better for having just finished something like this. Confidence is soaring starting the new year off right.

Read Lt. Michael Murphy's incredible story here.