Joining a gym

Yesterday I finally signed up for a summer gym membership. I am joining Sierra Athletic Club for the summer. A great gym with great management and staff as well as members. This will allow me to lift heavier weights and work on other lifts such as the power clean and snatch.
I have not had access to a rowing machine all winter. I really missed training on this machine. Rowing is a great cardio-vascular and strength building exercise. Rowing works all the major muscle groups of the core, arms and legs and believe me will challenge any fitness level.
In the Scandinavian crossfit challenge I competed in last November we did Tabata intervals on the Concept2 rower. 20 sec of max out put followed by 10 secs of rest X 8. A total of four minutes worth of work left me, and I am sure I can speak for every other competitor, totally wasted.
Missing this impact in my training I was eager to get back on this machine and see what I could do. I set the clock at 12 minutes and decided I will row 2,000 meters as fast as possible and with the remaining time do as many double unders as possible until time runs out.
I finished the 2,000 meter row in 8 min 6 secs and performed a total of 157 double unders with the remaining time. I think the best thing I could say about this work out was that I was able to keep a consistent pace through the whole distance. I have never actually rowed a longer distance like this before. So mentally I figured i would just focus on 500 meters at a time. I think this approach helped out because my pace times were consistently at 2 mins. I am happy with this
The double unders were another story. I forgot my jump rope at the house prior to leaving for the gym. The club did have a couple of other ropes laying around and they were the old school kind with the little plastic pieces of different color on the rope. I thought this would be great because I am so used to my rope that maybe this would add a little extra challenge and it did. This rope was slow and awkward. Honestly speaking I don't think I would have managed very many more with my jump rope vs the gyms rope. I was just that tired in the arms and the legs. Overall a great work out that left me lying on my back for a few minutes after.
Below is a video of the tabata row in the Scandinavian Crossfit challenge November 1st 2009.

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.

Summer Sports

The weather has drastically improved this last week here in Tahoe. Temperatures in the high 60's , with blue skies and the warmth of the sun. Perfect climbing weather. I have taken full advantage of this amazing weather.
This last week I have been packing as much climbing and hiking in as humanly possible. At least for me.
The sport of climbing requires an extraordinary amount of physical skill. Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Coordination, Accuracy, Agility, Balance are all required of you when you go out climbing. As well as the mental fortitude and confidence that comes from your success on the rock. As a result of all the climbing that I have been doing lately I am crazy sore. My whole body feels like I have been hit by a car. Everything is sore from my fingers to my toes. A rest day is definitely in order. Which I hate because I really want to go climbing. In the interest in productivity I should definitely rest for a day or two.
I have got a couple of workouts in in the last week. I finally had a go at a crossfit w.o.d. named "Annie" .
50-40-30-20-10 of double unders and sit ups for a time. My time was 6 min and 1 sec. I did not really push my self very hard in the beginning of this wod so I feel like I could definitely take a half minute off from this time. I managed every set of the double unders unbroken until the last set my shoes were untied and I broke set with just three to go. After this wod I did a quick set of Tabata push ups. 20 secs work with 10 secs rest X 8. My score on the push ups was 86.
I also had a really great work out at the middle school track here in South Lake Tahoe. I did four rounds of run 400 meters and 50 air squats for a time. My time was 15 mins 16 secs to run a mile and do 200 air squats. I am getting more and more acclimatized to the altitude. Feels pretty good. My times for the 400 meter runs were 1:20 , 1:29, 1:49, 1:49.
I am planning on spending a good amount of time the next day or two just laying around resting. That is the Idea anyway. I say it here now but it probably wont happen.

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.

Atlas stones

Taking advantage of the what Lake Tahoe has to offer. And that is beaches, steep trails, big cliffs, large rocks, trees to climb or lift and stunning views in every direction. I could be paying $50 a month to go to a gym and lift weights. Honestly I will most likely be a member of said gym in a few weeks. However, right now I am really enjoying getting a workout in the outdoors in one of the most beautiful environments on the planet.
The last time I was training at the beach I noticed a very large stone sitting in the sand. I remember watching a video of Blair Morrison of http://crossfitmobile.blogspot.com/2009/09/morning-and-afternoon-in-sicily.html getting a workout in while he was on vacation in Sicily. Blair found a very large stone and did 30 dead lifts with the stone for a time.
I always thought that looked like so much fun and I have always wanted to try the atlas stones from the Worlds Strongest Man competitions. I am also reading the book Primal Blueprint. So, in a way I was pretty motivated to go Primal.
So I went back to this great beach to lift this rock. I did a pretty solid warm up doing thrusters with smaller stones and push presses with downed trees giving me some pretty good ideas for another workout at the beach.
The first time I lifted the stone I did not think that it was heavy enough. I can only guess that the stone weighed 120 lbs. I am probably way off. My legs and back felt strong when lifting the stone from the sand. However my arms were fatigued really fast. This stone was really awkward and very smooth making it really difficult to get a good purchase with my arms. The more I lifted the stone and dropped it the more of a hole it made in the sand thus forcing me to get farther and farther down in my stance.
So I performed 30 stone dead lifts for a time. I finished in 5 min and 39 secs. This was so much fun. To work out on the beach with stunning mountain views in every direction is very inspiring. In a way I felt like Mariusz Pudzianowski the worlds strongest man. I am really looking forward to the next session on the beach.

No membership required

We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day here in Tahoe. My friend Mike was anxious to try out my rope for a workout. So we walked across the street into a beautiful alpine meadow. We quickly found a place to hang the rope from and got to work. The w.o.d. was two parts and went like this The first part I borrowed from an amazing athlete Blair Morrison of http://crossfitmobile.blogspot.com/

Rope progression ladder, Climb 17 ft of rope: Every minute on the minute perform one rope climb. In the first minute climb the rope one time. In the second minute climb the rope two times. The third minute climb the rope three times , the remainder of the minute is your rest. Continue until you are unable to perform the required reps.

I finished with three full rounds plus one full rope climb in the fourth minute. This was so much harder than I had expected. For some reason I thought that I would be able to cruise through five minutes. Ummm No! In the fourth minute I knew I would not be able to finish , so I just tried to steal one more rep before my time ran out.

The second part of this w.o.d. was a great one as well. Three rounds for a time of 50 double unders and 25 overhead lunges with a 15kg log. I finished in 6 min 9 secs. The double unders were kind of an issue. I am still dealing with the altitude. So I got tired really fast. I did the first round unbroken, and the last two rounds only broke set once at the same mark of 28. The lunges were great. My legs are pretty sore from the sprints and bear crawls in the sand. But 25 was just about right. The over head portion of the lunges was a great addition. My shoulders were really getting blasted from the double unders and holding this log over my head.
Over all I had a great time training outside with my friend in this beautiful alpine meadow. The w.o.d. was a good one as well and I expect to be plenty sore in the morning.

Summer in Tahoe

I have been doing so much traveling lately. Now I am finally in one place again. I am really looking forward to getting back into my routine. Summer is not quite here in Sierra's but it is coming and soon. With summer, my priorities will change drastically. I am a rock climber first and foremost and an avid crossfiter second. If you would even consider me a crossfiter. I mean technically I have only trained at a crossfit box a couple of times.
What I mean by my priorities will change is simply that I will prefer to go climbing first and any specific crossfit training will come second if I have any energy left at all. You could argue that I will have more energy if I consistently crossfit, gaining in endurance, strength and recovery. I would agree with you. However, what I enjoy most about climbing is climbing and what is better than climbing? More climbing!
As of lately I have just started to get back into a routine of regularly training. My last couple of workouts have gone something like this

Deadlifts
3 sets of 15 @ 80kgs still focusing on strict technique.

5 rounds for a time of
5 Push Press 154 lbs
30 double unders

I finished in 8 min 56 secs.

I have a close friend that has really dedicated his life to fitness in the last year. I have not seen him in 9 months. I can tell you that his fitness has dramatically improved. This guy is motivated and it is exciting. That is a great help to me. To be around someone who wants to get better in every way of his life. He has drastically changed the way he eats and is eager to learn more ways to improve.
Yesterday the weather was not perfect. A little cold and a little snowy. Like I said , summer is not quite here in the Sierra's yet, but this was my second day in Tahoe and I really wanted to go to the beach to get a workout in. And it was a great one. My friend mike was motivated and wanted to get in on the action.
10 rounds for a time of
10 gassers ( sprint 50 meters in the sand and back, 100 meters total)
50 meter bear crawls

My time was 20 min 32 seconds. Mike finished just behind me with a time of 21min 8 secs.

The major issue here was the altitude. I am now at 6,300 feet above sea level. I was at just a few hundred feet above sea level. This change is no joke. I came out in the beginning going pretty hard. Just the same pace I would give any work out of this kind. I totally gassed out on the fifth round. Literally just sitting in the sand completely finished. Or so I thought. Mike , thank god he was there. He came crawling by me and said to me " Come on man , we need to do 10 rnds". I did not appreciate it then but I do now. So I dragged my but up from the sand and got back to work.
I let this little negative thought creep into my head and it controlled me for a minute. I started to tell myself that this is good enough 5 rounds. Ya , we can call it a day. Like I said Mike is motivated and that helped me out so much. After finishing the w.o.d. I was so much happier and felt great. Like I just climbed this big mountain of defeat in my head. I pushed through it and I am truly greatful to have had a friend there to push me. We even snapped a couple of great photos.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow because we have a good one planned. Going primal!