Bear crawls and box jumps

Today I joined my friend for another good workout. I can not tell you how great it feels to have someone to train with. Someone to laugh with and share the pain with. It definitely makes the work out more enjoyable.
So we warmed up with a quick mini wod.
4 rounds of
30 double unders
15 box jumps
15 kettle bell swings
15 GH extensions

Then we got down to the business.

As many rounds as possible in 20 min of:
15 dips
20 meter weighted bear crawls with 20 kg dumb bells
30 single leg box jumps 15@R/L
20 meter weighted bear crawls with 20 kg dumb bells

I just finished the bear crawls at the bell for a total of 7 rounds. My friend got 5 rounds, very impressive performance from him. This was a great wod not requiring too much strength and not requiring too much cardio endurance either. Definitely a great workout.

After some rest we worked on a new core exercise I discovered earlier in the day. Stir the pot man, Check it out.

Old school and effective

Today I went old school. Back to the old days of training for wrestling. Buddy carries, We used to carry each other up and down everything. Very grueling but super effective. So I invited a friend of mine over for some very evil buddy carries. The gut wrench, the fireman's carry, and the classic buddy carry on the back. It went something like this.
6 rounds of buddy carries up a rather steep hill about 40 meters, plus 5 2 for 1 burpees at the top and the bottom of the hill. 2 for 1 burpees are a regular burpee with an extra push up thrown in the mix. So you drop down to the ground do a push up, then down again and back up to finish the burpee. So
Round 1
5 2 for 1 burpees
Forward gut wrench carry 40 meters
5 2 for 1 burpees
Round 2
5 2 for 1 burpees
Backward gut wrench carry 40 meters
5 2 for 1 burpees
Round 3
5 2 for 1 burpees
Forward fireman's carry 40 meters
5 2 for 1 burpees
Round 4
5 2 for 1 burpees
Backward fireman's carry 40 meters
5 2 for 1 burpees
Round 5
5 2 for 1 burpees
Forward buddy carry 40 meters
5 2 for 1 burpees
Round 6
5 2 for 1 burpees
Backward buddy carry 40 meters
5 2 for 1 burpees

I finished in 14 min 21 secs. My friend Momo put in a good three rounds in 8 min 56 secs. He did an excellent job. We were both totally unprepared for how difficult this was actually going to be. The hardest part of this wod was walking backwards up a steep hill holding 85 kgs in your arms. This workout was primarily quad dominant with the burpees and the hill climbing. But walking backwards up the hill totally smoked my hamstrings and my ass. A perfect combination and a great training session with a good friend.
After some rest and water on my front porch we decided to take a few rounds climbing underneath the steps leading to the second floor apt. Climb up the steps and then back down. I posted a few photos of the gut wrench carry, the fireman carry and us goofing around on our neighbors steps.

Deadlift & Incline bench press

I started the day warming up on the stationary bike. About six or seven minutes to get some blood in the legs. I wish we had a rowing machine but we do not so this will do for now. I loaded the bar with some weight and progressed until I felt like my back and legs were good and warm up. I did 3X15 @ 85 kg's .
I injured my lower back a few months ago. A really unfortunate injury that has forced me to withdraw from the crossfit games european qualifiers as well as not letting me train in some of my favorite lifts, like the Power clean and heavy squats. Getting some advice from some friends I am trying to rehab my lower back by dead lifting. I will continue this until hopefully everything gets better.
After the dead lifts I set up a lift that i have not done in such a long time. Not sure why. I suppose I have completely given up Bench pressing heavy at all. But I felt like doing something a little different today. So incline bench press it was 5X3
I warmed up with a few sets of lighter weight moving up from there making sure the shoulders were good and ready for the heavy loads to come.
The weights were 80 kg,90 kg, 100 kg, 105 kg, and 110 kg. I really felt like I could have done another heavier set and probably should have but I was happy with this so I let it be. I honestly could not tell you the last time I did a heavy bench press lift of any kind so I was pretty happy with this total. I felt like 110 could have gone up for 5 , so I think I should have added more weight. Next time!

Double unders and weighted finger tip pull ups.

Another beautiful spring day here in Trysil Norway. It makes no sense to me to go to the gym to train indoors. On a day like today I could just as well get in a great training session outside, in the sun, on my own porch.

Double unders and weighted pull up ladder for a time:

50 du's
2 weighted pull ups 10 kg
40 du's
4 weighted pull ups 10 kg
30 du's
6 weighted pull ups 10 kg
20 du's
8 weighted pull ups 10 kg
10 du's
10 weighted pull ups 10 kg
10 du's
8 weighted pull ups 10 kg
20 du's
6 weighted pull ups 10 kg
30 du's
4 weighted pull ups 10 kg
40 du's
2 weighted pull ups 10 kg
50 du's

My time was 16:50
The pull ups were a bit of an issue here. I was just grabbing hold of my neighbors deck above my own porch. After one pull up I would litterally be hanging on by my fingertips. This made the pull ups extremely difficult. I would manage at least four in the later sets before I would have to go 2 at a time or one at at time until I finished the set.
The double unders were not really that difficult but I did trip on three sets. That is frustrating.
Great day to be outside.

Core training

Tonight's core class:
Warm up with bear crawl 20 meters
crab crawl backwards 20 meters
bear crawl backwards 20 meters
crab crawl forwards 20 meters

Front get ups w/ 4kg med ball
5x10 rest 30 sec

Ab circuit
5@ opposite knee mountain climber
belly roll to back
5 jack knife
back to belly roll
Repeat 5X's

Tabata: Hanging bicycles 20 secs work 10 secs rest X8

I have added a link to mapmyrun.com on the right of this website. Check it out if you have not already. Brilliant website. I have also added a couple of new links to some websites that I like.
A legendary rock/mountain climber from the late 80's early 90's Mark Twight owns and operates a gym in Salt Lake City Utah called Gym Jones. His methodology is the same as crossfit or crossfits methodology is the same as his. He has reached widespread acclaim after training the cast from the movie 300. As well as being the creator of the brutal workout titled 300. A gauntlet of high rep powerful and dynamic movements. His methodology my be the same as crossfit. Something that has created quite a stir in the crossfit community. Because he is active in the private sector as opposed to crossfit who publishes their "WOD's" on a website daily. I believe his philosophy is a little different.
As an athlete risking his life and pushing himself beyond what is capable and acceptable. The czech direct route, a single 60 hour nonstop push up the SW face of Mt. Mckinley. A test of mental and physical strength. A route that previously took 11 days. As well as putting up New and unrepeated routes on Mt. Everest. Simply stated , he trains as if his life depends on it. For his case his life most certainly did depend on it. As an amature climber Mark Twight is my idol. I have enjoyed reading and following his career as a climber and a trainer in the elite private sector. I have posted a link to his site Gym Jones on the right. I hope you enjoy reading his articles and ideas as much as I have. If you fancy his ideas and want to take it a bit further and perhaps delve into the sport of climbing check out his book Kiss or Kill. A collective of short stories documenting his outstanding career as an elite athlete.
I have also posted a new link to conditioning research. Posting interesting things about fitness, diet, strength and performance. Check it out man.

Loving the warm weather

Every minute on the minute perform an amrap of a different exercise. The first minute do as many hand stand push ups as you can. The second minute do as many ring dips as you can. The third minute as many push ups as you can. Repeat this cycle of every minute on the minute until you reach a total of 150. Then immediately run 1 mile for an accumulative time.
My time was 18:37

I set my rings up outside on the porch in the sun. I had previously mapped out my run on mapmyrun.com. This website is amazing and everyone should have a look at it. I will put a link to it on my website later when I have more time.
To warm up I went through the cycle of hspu, rd's and pu's. Three rounds of 5 each. I did a series of of plank variations to further warm up the shoulders and the core. Then I had an easy run through the coarse I had previously mapped out on line. This proved valuable to further my warm up and to get a good idea of what I had ahead of me. I live on a mountain so the problem is I didnt want to have a lopsided run. I didnt want to run a half mile up hill and then a half mile down. So on the website I found some side roads went slowly up and down to the base of this steep road leading to my house. The final 600 meters were steep and continuous.
After the warm up run I was ready to go. I set the watch and got after it. I did really well in the hspu's getting 25 in the first round. I pulled out another 20 on the rd's and 30 on the pu's. Then I was pumped. going into the second round of hspu's my triceps were totally blasted. I could only get 9 same with the rd's. The pu's were never an issue. The third round of each was much the same as the second. I finally got to 150 at 10:07 . I grabbed my jacket and took off.
The run was smooth sailing until the second half when I faced 600 meters or so up a steep steep incline. I finished the run in 8:15. Not an entirely fast time . But it will do!
I liked this work out. I have really enjoyed training outside this last week as well. The weather has been amazing. I hope it stays this way. There is nothing like training out in the open.

2 Parts from Norway

Part 1
5x500 meter hill sprints
60% start finish 110%
Start out running 60% picking up the pace until the final 150(the steepest) meters pulling out full tilt boogie.
In times past I would walk this hill down to the start. This time I decided to jog down to the start. Jogging down cut my rest time in Half. It took me about two and a half minutes to jog down. Where as before I would take about five minutes to walk down to the start. I kept my times for the running below one minute fifty. Two runs were one minute forty.
Part 2
Every minute on the minute for 15 minutes:
Set the clock for a minute. Every minute on the minute do two muscle ups and as many air squats as you can with the rest of your time. So if you do two muscle ups in 15 secs you have 45 secs to complete as many air squats as possible. Continue this until you have been going for 15 minutes.
I did 30 muscle ups and 408 squats in 15 minutes. I really pussed out in the middle of this wod. Somewhere around minute 8 I started to just cruise and average only 20 or so squats. Then towards the end I started to pick the pace up again. I think 500 is definitely possible maybe more. I just have to keep the focus going through the whole session.
I finished this part off with 50 knees to elbows. Something like 25 15 10
I did this wod alone. Which is OK . But I know that it helps the competitive drive when you have a chance to train with a partner. I hope I can find someone to train with me again soon.
The weather was perfect to train outside today. I really enjoyed this session today. I was really happy with the muscle ups. I managed two unbroken every minute. That felt great.
Nutrition:
My diet has still been a little half assed lately. I will have some pretty good runs where I am true to my self and giving my body the fuel it needs. Then I get lazy and start putting together some bull shit meals here and there. It is spring time here in Norway and this is the time were every one wants to be festive. I just need to stay the coarse and be prepared and that means quite being lazy.