Half and Half

"dumbbell nebula"

11/15: rest day

WOD 11/16: "Fran"

• thrusters 95lbs x 21 reps
• pullups x 21
• thrusters x 15
• pullups x 15
• thrusters x 9
• pullups x 9

total: thrusters 95lbs x 45 reps; pullups (strict) x 45 - time to complete: ~8min (pr).

this is a benchmark crossfit workout. i thought i had posted my last Fran time but i can't seem to find it. i'm pretty sure it was ~9min or so. so a pr...whoo! however, i remember thinking at the time that i could have done better. for some reason my lungs were giving up on me before my muscular endurance...ie...i was breathing HARD...asthma inducing hard. ah well, still content with the time.

man eventually i need to kip. i've been practicing swinging on every single workout and have practiced the kip as well. unfortunately i can only do it off the smith machine bar! which stinks, because to kip correctly you really need your hand to grip around the bar. with the smith machine, i am hanging onto (with 4 fingers...not even my thumb lol) the top of the flat bar. i'm sure once i find a place to kip and learn how to do it correctly my times will start falling. i often wonder what others' times would look like if they were doing strict pullups like i am!

WOD 11/17: "michael" (minus the sprints)

• 50 situps
• 50 lower back extensions
• 50 situps
• 50 back extensions
• 50 situps
• 50 back extensions

total: 150 situps; 150 lower back extensions - completed in: ~11min 30sec.

the cardio machines at the gym were way too busy to rotate the sprints in. that and i was being picky...i wanted space to do the sprints because they were going to be 4min a piece and i know i was going to be sweating/breathing hard etc. i just dont like having someone not even a foot away when i'm going all out sprinting (even tho it's just on the damn machines).

i'm ranting and it's been said a million times but really...a good majority of ppl just sit there and do moderately paced cardio for extended amounts of time. i remember the smith college gym i went to had a 30min time limit on the machines. it's sad but ppl really just hog the damn machines and hardly work up a sweat!

i'm in the minority of course, but i look at cardio machines as tools to be integrated into my workouts. duh! i'm doing crossfit. so most likely i'm going to want to use a machine for ~3min or so per round...and i might do in the range of 3-7 rounds per workout...if of course the workout even calls for sprints. so i would say in a given week i'm using a cardio machine for less than 30min total, lol. it can fluctuate of course. so get off the damn cardio machine and try an actual workout you cardio fools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and let me get my 30min a week. fools!!!!!!!!!!

WOD 11/18: weighted pullups / elevated pushups

10 rounds of:

• pullups + 55lbs x 3 reps
• elevated pushups (w/feet on 3ft bar) x ~15 reps (i'd guess this was the average, tho it was prolly a bit more...i didn't count...for once!!!)

total: pullups + 55lbs x 30 reps; elevated pushups x 150-175 reps

pullups were done with 55lbs dumbbell held between my feet. that got interesting because with the height of the smith machine, i have to elevate my legs in order to get full elbow lockout on the negative motion of the pullup. so in essence, a weighted pullup turns into a full body exercise. my abs/legs/hips are feeling it this morning. it might have been the "michael" from a couple days ago, but i really think it's my body saying what the hell did you do to me. lol. oh well...it's better this way!

but i will have to get off my ass and get a dip belt eventually. until then, my abs thank crossfit for the added benefit of holding a dumbbell between the feet. whoo!