Parking Garage workout

Workout of the Day

21 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

18 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

15 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

12 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

9 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

6 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

3 L pull ups

Shuttle sprints 50 yds x4

This workout took place on the top level of a parking garage. No joke it was so sunny and warm outside. The top of the parking garage towers above all the other buildings close by so you have great views of the mountains and the plains. This parking garage is directly across the street from my work. On days like today when I only have an hour or so between my shifts I can just walk across the street and get a good workout in.

The pull ups I did on an I beam that covered the stairwell. Flat steel that made me work so much harder to hold on for the pull ups. The shuttle sprints were 50 yds down and back down and back. A great workout and a great day to be outside.

Yesterday I went to the climbing gym. They have a pretty good weight room. So I took advantage of the free weights.

I did Dead lifts 3 X 5 and shoulder press 3 x 5 . Working up to as heavy set as possible for a set of 5. After the shoulder press I did 5 rounds of max distance walking on my hands. Rest as needed. I did manage a couple of yds each time before toppling over. I am getting better at this skill. I would like to be able to walk much farther. With more practice I will be better.

Workout of the Day

Workout of the Day

5 min of ground to shoulder w/ heavy stone

rest 5 min

3 min max double unders

rest 3 min

1 min wall climbs

go back to work

Today was a sunny and beautiful day . I cant really say that it was warm. A good day to be outside getting some fresh air and exercise though. I had to work a lunch shift and a dinner shift today. This workout took place on my break between my shifts. This turned out to be a really fun workout.

For the ground to shoulder work I went back to the stone that I have used in the past. I have never attempted to lift it past my chest before. I thought this would be challenging and it was. I chose to lift the stone to my thighs squat and reset then lift hard and fast to my shoulders. I alternated shoulders for each lift. I ended with 15 lifts in five minutes. The thing that slowed me down the most was the dead weight. I would have to pick it up out of the snow and maneuver the stone back into a lifting position. Still allot of fun. I can see how this type of work can build tremendous strength and power for athletes competing in MMA or grappling.

For the double unders I finished with 227 in 3 mins. I have never done a three minute amrap with double unders before so this is a new record for me I suppose. I did manage 136 with out stopping and that is a new personal best. My previous pr was 109 unbroken. I love doing double unders and I think I will try to get 200 unbroken soon.

The wall climbs are a new exercise I learned from the crossfit main site. Such a fun and effective exercise. I finished with 10 in one minute. Shoulders were blasted at 8, 9 and 10. Below is a video of some tough kids up in Canada doing the wall climbs. This was so much fun it almost did not feel like I was exercising. Needless to say I had tons of energy for work after.

Climbing and squats

2 hours of hard climbing

Squats 3x5

21-15-9 0f

KB swings

Box jumps

toes to bar

I went to the climbing gym with a friend. We both climbed pretty well. I was still a bit hungover after the Superbowl. We put in a few hours of good climbing then called it a day. I wanted to get some leg work in. I worked up to a few heavy sets of 5 with squats. I have not performed heavy squats in some time. I felt a slight pinch in my hamstrings around 275 lbs. I decided not to push it past 275. I am not sure what the reason was for this. Dehydration probably or my hamstrings are weak from not squatting heavy in awhile. With a little more squatting to come in the future my hamstrings will be in better shape.

After the squats I did a quick little cash out wod. 21-15-9 of Kettle bell swings 60lbs. Box jumps 20 " and toes to bar. My grip was totally fried from the hard climbing that we did earlier so the toes to bars were so much harder than they should have been. My grip was the limiting factor.

Before we started climbing I did some external rotations and a few sets of wood choppers.

Great day climbing. Looking forward to more to come. Cant wait for the weather to get warmer so we can be outside.

Workout of the Day

Workout of the Day

5 rounds of

1 min hold plank

20 hand release push ups

20 squats

Rest 5 mins

5 rounds of

25 double unders

10 burpees

Real quick workout before the Superbowl Sunday madness. I didn't time any of these exercises. Honestly I think I will hold of trying to time my workouts for a little while. I just want to focus on great technique through out as opposed to trying to finish as fast as I can. I like these hand release push ups. A little more challenging.

The burpees and double unders definitely got my heart rate up. After this I was ready to cheer on the Packers. I think Clay Matthews is my new favorite NFL player.

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.