One Up, One Down

     So it's been a few days since I've updated this.  I think that's going to be the deal around here though.  If writing starts to become an obligation or a chore I'll just stop doing it and I'd like to keep this going.  So it might round out to about 2 posts a week.  I know you're disappointed, but I'll make it up to you.  I promise.

     Well, I did it.  I went ahead and signed up for the CrossFit Games Open.  I haven't been specifically training for this competition at all but I still would like to do it, mostly for the same reason people climb mountains- because it's there.  I don't think I've run farther than 40 meters in about 4 months and when I did I felt like I had just done "Fran" so I might be a bit screwed.  I'm actually interested to see what the little bit of extra strength I've picked up over the last few months does for me over the course of these 5 competition weeks.  

     I think that, as an exercise regimen, CrossFit is fantastic.  It's a great way to get people moving in ways and at intensities that they never thought possible.  It's wonderful for confidence and can definitely make a difference in people's lives.  I'm certainly thankful that I was introduced to it and I'm extremely grateful that I found Windy City CrossFit.  As a sport, CrossFit- and the sport of fitness in general- has a few bugs to work out.  James Fitzgerald (OPT) is making huge strides in terms of fitness competitions with his OPTathalon, an event that I competed in in San Diego in October and am looking forward to again in Chicago this spring.  Standardized judging and weight classes are two issues that seem to come up quite often.  I understand that every sport has a certain amount of human element in the officiating (this was not a touchdown and Don Denkinger definitely blew this call in the 1985 World Series.  In fact, here's a list of some terrible baseball calls) and that's part of what makes sports fun.  But the opportunity for shady judging and lousy range of motion in the CrossFit Open is off the charts.  Here's a video of some dude from CrossFit talking about cheating during the Open.  I hope that they take this seriously because this issue undermines the legitimacy of what CrossFit is trying to build by having such a large scale fitness competition.
     It would also be nice to see weight classes in this as well but that won't happen.  They're looking for all around fitness and are trying to test their 10 elements of fitness (strength, stamina, endurance, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy if I remember my Level 1 class correctly) and believe that, regardless of size, you can achieve a balance of all of these elements and prove your all around "fitness".  Historically though strength is King and that's the main reason I've been trying so hard to build mine up recently.  The decathlon doesn't use weight classes either, so I guess that makes me feel a bit better.

     That was way more than I intended on writing about that subject.  But, yeah, I'm all signed up...

     

     On Thursday February 9 I did this:

A. hurdle-hop: 3 consecutive x 8; rest 2-3 minutes (allow 3 steps)

B. hang squat clean cluster: 66% x 1.1.1 x 5; rest 2 minutes
C. kb squat jump: 32kg x 6 x 3; rest 3-4 minutes (again, only 1/4 squat)

D. farmer carry: 45 seconds tough x 3; rest 2 minutes (keep pushing weight here)
+
3 sets:
12 glute ham raise
15 ghd sit-up
rest 2 minutes

     Overall this felt really good and I was focused on my training and objectives.

     A. 36.5" x 3 x 8.  I missed a few reps here and there again, mostly due to starting position but I made up all of the reps.  These feel much better when I don't think about them as much and just think "step, step, explode" or something simple like that.  It's dumb to write but makes sense when I do it.

     B. 66kg x 1.1.1 x 5.  Generally these felt really solid.

     C. kb jumps felt really easy and explosive on this day.

     D. 122lb/hand x :45 x 3.  I finally managed this weight for the complete time for all three sets which is a step in the right direction (no pun intended.  Although I do kinda like puns).  And I did the assistance stuff too.

This was today's training: 

A. incline bench press: 2-2-2-2-2; rest 3 minutes
B. depth jump push-up, 12": 8-8; rest 3 minutes
C1. bat wing @ 20X3: 8-10 x 3; rest 10 seconds
C2. kb clean: 8-10 x 3; rest 2 minutes
D. waiter walk: 40m/side x 3; rest 1 minute

     Today wasn't as good.  I walked in feeling fine after a decent night's sleep but once I started lifting I just didn't have it.  My focus wasn't solid and I couldn't successfully visualize myself hitting everything.  It went downhill a bit...

     A. 70kg, 75kg, 77kg, 79kg (1 with help), 79kg x 1.  This was frustrating because just last week I managed 77kg x 3 and today couldn't successfully do 79 x 2.  Ugh.  I was really, really disappointed.

     B. depth jump push ups: 8 x 2.  These were generally fine except that in the first set, on the last rep, the box slid away from me and I missed.  I made the rep up but, after just being disappointed on the incline bench, it wasn't good timing for me to fall on my face.  Literally. By the way...the jerk boxes that I use for these are actually 14".  I measured them once.  

    C1.  30lb x 10 x 3.  I finally moved this weight up a bit.  As I've said before: these suck at tempo.

    C2. 32kg x 8 x 3.  I moved this weight up a bit as well.  Mostly because I wanted to improve at something today.

    D.  32kg x 40m/side x 3.  No trouble here.  

     Since I was pretty disappointed with my performance today I've decided to post a few videos of things to make me feel better.  

     Here's a really funny bit that Eddie Izzard does about a cafeteria on the Death Star, acted out with legos: 

     Here's my boyhood hero, Ryne Sandberg, hitting two game tying home runs and a walk off single against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 23, 1984 (The Sandberg Game):

     Here's some highlights from the 1985 Super Bowl (I still remember almost everything about that day, including what I had for dinner.  Beef stew):

     Here's my teenage idol Ian MacKaye and Fugazi performing "Waiting Room" (I think I'll save my thoughts on why I looked up to Ian MacKaye for another post):

     One more...here's a collection of chicken dances on one of the best shows ever on TV, Arrested Development: