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.

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.

"Pleasure spiked with pain" chipper

WOD

For a time:

30 burpees

5 muscle ups

30 push presses

5 muscle ups

30 sand bag wrap around w/ 40 lb sandbag

5 muscle ups

30 Kettle bell swings

5 muscles ups

30 meters over head walking lunges w/ 40 lb sandbag

30 meters sprint with sand bag

5 muscle ups

30 retaining wall box jumps ( about 6 inches above the knees)

5 muscle ups

I finished in 26 min 20 secs.

This was probably the most fun I have had working out in a long time. I got the idea for this wod from a couple of places. The first was watching this video at the bottom of this post. Basically the guy in the video is doing muscle up s between every lift. My second source of inspiration for this wod is from Blair Morrison of Anywherefit. Blair's creativity is off the charts and his vision has helped change the way I train. Blair wrote this great article for Sicfit awhile back titled " Free of the Gym" and I have read it over and over. I love it!

This paragraph from the article resonates inside me now more than ever.

"Don’t be a barbell brat, lift whatever you can get your hands on. Weakness doesn’t respect proper equipment or hours of operation, so don’t stand on ceremony while you get choked out.

There’s nothing that burns me more than when I ask someone about a trip they took and they tell me, “It was great, but I couldn’t get to the gym.” Wrong. Nut up, go outside, and make your own gym. The biggest obstacle is not a lack of resources, it’s a lack of drive and a crippling self-consciousness. Get over it and your world becomes a playground. Trust me, it’s fun and you’ll be better for it the next time you “get to the gym.”

”

You can read the entire article here.

Some of the equipment I used for this wod was just the same ol crap I have been using from the demolition site. I used a cinder block for the KB swings. I have the sand bag. I used a 20 ft long beam that is lying outside my apt for the push presses. This sucker is heavy as hell. I just get under one end of it. I hang my rings in a tree in front of my apt for the muscle ups. I used the neighbors retaining wall for the box jumps and I just did the lunges down the side walk and sprint back up it. So basically I lift what ever I can get my hands on.

I started off with the burpees because I figured that would be the most difficult part of this wod. I was way wrong. The sand bag wrap around was by far the most difficult part. I have this 40 lb. sand bag and trying to pass it around my body was so difficult. My biceps were completely wasted after just five. Arms already fatigued from the previous exercises and they only got worse during the wrap around. I must have dropped the damn thing 10 times. I had to pick it back up and start again. Exhausting work but somewhat pleasurable. The rest of the wod went by a little quicker. The first round of muscle ups were unbroken, however after the push presses I could only manage 2 at a time until the end. Overall this is the most fun I have had training in months. "Pleasure spiked with pain. That mother fucker is always spiked with pain"

30 Burpee-Pull up-Toes to bar

30 Burpee-Pull up-Toes to bar for a time:

I came across this quick wod sometime ago on Ricky Frausto's Strength Development Inc. website. Ricky is the owner of Crossfit Omaha and has several sites that I visit regularly for information on nutrition @ Nutrisimple or strength training advice and or inspiration and competition on the Crossfit Omaha main site. I thought this one looked really fun and simple and I figured I could bust this out just about anywhere.

I had plans to go climbing in Eldorado State Park so I figured I would get a nice fast work out in this morning. I just jogged a few blocks up the road to a park that has a few swing sets. I figured I would use the top of the swing set for my pull ups. I could just barely jump and hold on to the top of the set. The ground was also wet so when I did the burpee and then jumped up grabbed the bar It felt really insecure and I couldn't really get any momentum. This one factor made this wod just that much harder. Which was for the better. Everything else was pretty easy. I finished in just under 8 mins. I think 30 reps might have been too little however since I was planning on getting worked over climbing in Eldorado SP this was just what I wanted this morning. In the future I might try to do 100 of these for a time. Overall this was my first time performing a burpee pull up combo and I liked throwing in the toes to bar. Fun, Fast and Effective.

Here is a quick video of a bad ass doing 100 burpee pull ups. Imagine throwing in the toes to bar. Sick, Bluh!

Rock climbing at Lover's Leap and a great met-con

Today was an amazing day. I met a couple of friends to do some multi pitch climbing at Lover's Leap. We were up and ready to go early , unfortunately many other people were as well. We got crowded off the first climb but that did not stop us. We headed straight for another classic. This worked in our favor and we enjoyed several hours of great free climbing amazing weather and stunning views in every direction.
After the climb my friends headed back to San Francisco and I headed over to the Sierra Athletic club to get some more training in. After yesterday working with the gymnastic rings I wanted to do something that I could incorporate the muscle ups with. This is what I came up with.
3 rounds for a time of
10 muscle ups
10 front squats w/155#'s
10 burpees
I finished in 15:01
This was a great wod. I finally got more than 5 muscle ups in a row. In the first round I did 6 consecutively. Not a huge improvement but I am happy with it. Then four more again. I finished the first ten pretty fast. I was really happy with that. The front squats were not bad. I did every one unbroken in each round. The burpees were not a problem either. The major factor in this wod were the muscle ups. The second and third rounds smoked me. I could not manage more than three and then I would just chip away one or two at a time. The last ten seemed to take forever. I really thought I would do this in less than twelve minutes. Not even close. :-) I probably should have done more weight with the front squats. I feel really good about this workout today. This is probably one of the most fun workouts that I have had in awhile and I love it when the sessions are fun. Tomorrow I am going climbing again and a BBQ and slack lining in my front yard after. Tomorrow will be a great day.

The East face and a few missed wod's

The past couple of weekend for me have been packed with activity. I spent a weekend in Yosemite National Park climbing with friends virtually all hours of the day. This past weekend I went down to Lone Pine California to climb the East face of Mt. Whitney the highest point in contiguous states. An amazing trip. A journey that would challenge me to my physical limits as well as my mental limits and I love it. The Natural High.
Speaking of Natural High. My last few workouts have come from Natural High Crossfit of Alberta Canada, programming by OPT.
The workouts have gone like this.
2 rounds:
Run 1 min
Box Jumps (20"/14") 1 min
Double Unders 1 min
Rest 3 min

+ (10 min rest)

2 rounds:
Row 1 min
Run 1 min
Double Unders 1 min

+ (10 min rest)

2 rounds:
Box Jumps (20"/14") 1 min
DB Swing (30#/25#) 1 min
Double Unders 1 min

3 sets – rest 10 min between sets

As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes:
10 Push-ups
10 DB Thruster – 40/25
10 Double Unders

I scored four rounds in the first and second. In the third I hit the mental wall and could only do three rounds. Not very physically challenging because the times are so short but mentally challenging for sure.

Climbing a rope wod #3
10 min amrap of
15ft rope climb 1 ascent
10 burpees.
I scored 7 rounds, very challenging but I loved it.

3 rounds for a time of:
10 Chest to bar pull ups
20 double unders
30 box jumps
my time was 6:51

Primal on the Beach

Today the weather was fantastic. I would normally be out climbing however circumstances would not allow it today. I called up my friend Mike to see if he was interested in another training session at the beach. We both really enjoy training outside. Especially if you can go to the beach. You have the mountains , the lake and the beach to look at. The energy levels are usually so much higher when training outside under these circumstances.
At Kiva Beach there is a very large and heavy tree that has been laying around since I moved back into town. The last time we trained together at the beach we used this tree for 50 push presses in a chipper. Today we decided to use the tree for push presses again just a little different format. The wod went like this.
For a warm up we ran to the end of the beach and back ( about 1200 meters) stopping every minute to do 10 push ups, 10 air squats,10 sit ups, 3 burpees. Running in the sand with these dynamic movements really got the two of us warmed up. Next was the business.
15,12,9,6,3 for a time of Push presses and burpees. Moving back and forth between the two movements.
My time was 4min 57 secs, Mike's time was 7min 25secs.
I managed to do all of the sets unbroken. The most difficult part coming between the 15 burpees and the 12 push presses. I am getting more acclimatized to the altitude which is making things easier for sure. The first set of burpees still gassed me and I was sucking air the rest of the wod.
Mike chose to go first, which was both inspirational and motivating. After watching him push himself as hard as he did I was really psyched up and ready to grok it out.
Another great training session at the beach and with a good friend. Cant get much better than that.

Kiva Beach Chipper

Today in Lake Tahoe the weather is really bizarre. It is the very end of May and it has been snowing for most of the day. This did not stop my friend and I from going back to the beach for a good ol fashion primal workout. The last time I was at the beach doing stone dead lifts I noticed several natural elements laying around on the beach. More than a few stones large and small, a fallen tree, a very very large fallen Sequoia tree, and several handy pieces of drift wood and logs. Plenty of sand to make movement more challenging as well.
In my last visit to the beach my brain started cataloging all of Kiva beach's available resources. The ideas started to pile up. The w.o.d. went like this.
For a time:
200 meters run in the sand carrying a 10 kg stone
100 mountain climbers ( Left/Right=1)
50 Push presses with a fallen tree
25 meter log flip
10 Burpee double box jumps ( Burpee, get a running start jump on a tree stump then jump higher to a fallen Sequoia tree)
25 meter log flip
50 Push presses with a fallen tree
100 mountain climbers ( Left/Right=1)
200 meter run in the sand carrying a 10 kg stone

I was really unsure of myself going into this workout. However I was really excited to do something like this on the beach.
I finished in 20 minutes and 16 seconds. The Burpee double jumps being the most exhausting part of this workout. The altitude is such an issue for me. However I did break sets on the push presses a couple of times as well as with the mountain climbers. The first 200 meters run was difficult but I did not push myself that hard because I didn't want to "Blow my W.O.D." in the first minute. Which is exactly what it took me to run 200 meters carrying the stone. 1 min 7 sec. The second time running 200 meters was pretty hilarious. I started out good because I just wanted to finish under 20 mins. After the 100 meter mark I think I could have walked faster. I was just wasted.
My friend Mike finished in 27 minutes 01 second. Mike was really impressive the whole way through running fast and killing the mountain climbers. He got really hung up with the Push Presses. Chipping away 5 at a time until he finished. With a little more strength training he will be able to cut some serious time off of this work out. Mike had a very impressive showing and I enjoyed being there to help push him the way he pushed me.
Training at the beach in low 40 degree temperatures and snowing like crazy on and off was really inspiring. We even saw a bald eagle today. I will take that over sports center at the gym any day.

You want to get serious about your fitness?

You want to get serious about your fitness? Take the Challenge! You want to melt the fat off your body? Take the Challenge! You want to increase your strength endurance, power and anaerobic conditioning. Take the Challenge!

Burpees
Few movements hit as many muscle groups and deliver such and intense cardiovascular workout. Basically combining a squat, a push up and a vertical leap. Think about how much energy it takes to move your body over such a large distance. Take the challenge and you will know what I am talking about. What is the Challenge ?

100 Burpees for time:

Today I took the challenge for the second time in as many months. Today I set a new PR. 100 Burpees in 4:53 taking nearly two full minutes off my time. My previous time was 6:51



This is a workout that will not cost you a dollar. You can perform burpees just about anywhere. At the beach, a hotel room, the park on a lunch break or your living room floor, This fantastic body weight exercise can be used in a variety of different ways to get you in unbelievable shape. The different variations are endless.

Burpees
Burpees with a pull up
2 to 1 Burpees
Burpee box jumps
Flying burpees
Split burpees Sick Bluh!
Burpee med ball cleans
Dumbbell burpees / finish in a snatch
Burpee knees to elbows
Burpee power cleans
The inverted burpee
Bear crawl burpees
Handstand burpees
Sprint burpees
You can add a few burpees at the end of each set of exercise you perform, for example sprint 100 meters immediately do 10 burpees. How about a personal favorite. Perform 15 squats( Over head, Front or Back) with your body weight on the bar followed by 25 burpees. repeat 5 times Keep a trash can close by for pukie. 4 rounds of 25 burpees, 25 pull ups 25 squats, 25 sit ups Tabata Burpees , 8 rounds of 20secs work 10 secs rest. Try any variation from above. The combinations are endless.

Other Challenges for time
50 burpees
100 burpees
150 burpees
200 burpees
300 burpees
40 burpees a day for 100 days Sick, Bluh!