Long Run

Had the whole week off with intentions of working on longer runs and I have almost nothing to show for it except housework and watching some movies. Today was as good a day as any and so I figured anything over 2 hours would be good. The weather was a bit cold, but I still seemed to over dress. I never did hone the art of layering, so I was getting pretty wet about half way through the run. It worked out eventually as I made my way down Bells Mill Rd and onto Forbidden Dr. Not much sunlight gets through even the barren trees that make up the Wissahickon.

I felt OK for at least the first hour of the run. My pace was purposefully slow: I didn't need any PRs today. But after about 90 minutes is when the soreness settled into my quads. I had brought along some water with lemon, chia seeds, and honey (Born to Run) to test out and it seemed to work very well for both my mood and energy levels. I took the first half at 60 minutes and the second at 90 minutes in. Still, the quad soreness filled the majority of my thoughts during the last hour and I managed several walking breaks to ease the tension. There was a bit of soreness in my right ankle as well, but not where the pain has usually manifested over the past year. Good sign.

I made my way initially down the SRT towards Manayunk and was surprised to find it was almost entirely plowed, at least a runnable portion of it. Half way down this stretch I found a piece of paper attached to tree branch with the following Christmas Bible verses: Luke 2: 9-11. I didn't find it particularly profound as much as the act of pinning it to a tree. Someone found the time to make his or her way down here to do this, so I thought it might be deserving to read it through.

I finished in 2 hours 33 minutes (14.7 miles), which is a pretty slow pace, but with the several breaks I took, it seemed about right. As I made my way back into Conshohocken, I thought I could see the familiar stride of Brigid from about a quarter mile away. I lingered few a few minutes for her to get closer and was lucky that it was her, since I was waving like idiot. We jogged the last mile home and it was into the ice batch for me. If you haven't tried this after long workouts, it really works wonders. My legs felt fresh almost immediately.

Bench Press, Jump Skills, Biking

Early afternoon

Bench Press
555333
Load: 200, 210, 215, 225, 230 (fail), 215

Skills
Weighted Step Ups
6 X 10
Load: 40, 45, 45, 50, 50, 50

20 minutes easy biking

Workout comments: I should listen to my body when it tells be it is overly tired. I had no energy going into the workout this afternoon and it showed. I was expecting (on paper) to hit a 245 3RM but didn't even manage 230. Honestly, I could have fallen asleep today on the bike as well.

Spent some time working out my upper back muscles on the foam roller afterward. Maybe spend some more time working on my hamstrings tonight.

Strength, Run, Basketball

Early afternoon

Pullups 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
About 3 minutes rest between each set. Only broke the last set of 10.

Front Squat 5 X 3
185, 205, 205, 205, 205

Power Cleans 5 X 3
Load: 155

Skills:
Calf Raises 5 X 10

Run 2 miles on the treadmill in about 18 minutes.

Evening

Basketball for about 1 hour 40 minutes. This was continuous full court, probably about 5 games with no rest. Of course this happens to be the week before a closed gym so that fitness goes right out the door.

Workout comments: I spent some time after basketball rolling around the taped double lacrosse balls on my upper back muscles. It was amazing to feel the tension just release after about 10 minutes. If you can make it through the first 2-3 minutes of intense pain, it soon leads to nirvana. I would recommend something like this every night. A few more minutes working out the kinks in my calves using the foam roller and I was off to bed.

Short Run

Short run around Conshohocken in the frigid weather that we've been having lately. Took the Vibrams with me this time and despite the fatigue I could feel setting into my lower calves and in the arches of my feet, they felt pretty good. I have to wear a pair of Injiji socks with them when the weather is this cold and it makes the task of getting both socks and shoes on properly more arduous than the run itself.

About 5 miles in 47 minutes.

Spinervals 2.0

Late afternoon

Spinervals (v2.0) session on the trainer today. Workout consists of a combination of intervals, both in easy and hard gears ranging anywhere from 20 seconds to two minutes in length with varying recoveries. It would be a pain to record each and every interval here.

Max heart rate obtained was 170 BPM, which is much higher than my perceived effort. I thought I cold only hit 160 on the bike.

Early afternoon

Deadlift 4 X 5
Load: 265

Chinups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Shoulder Press (Barbell) 4 X 5
Load: 135, 145, 145, 145

One legged Squats (using a towel for balance)
4 X 7

Swimming Intervals

3 X 200
60 seconds rest not varying more than 5 seconds from original time

3:53, 3:58, 3:49

Workout comments: My leg kick is terrible. I made a conscious effort to increase both the force and frequency of this during the last set and it made a noticeable difference in the fatigue in my arms and shoulders. Keeping the legs straight also seems to be the key.

Strength, Vertical Jump

Squats 555333
Load: 215, 225, 235, 245, 250, 255

Weighted Incline Situps
Load: 25

DB Calf Raises
Load: 40
*Supersets

Bench Press 4 X 5
Load: 205

Depth Jumps
Load: 10
*Supersets

Workout comments: Trying some new workouts to increase vertical jump. Most websites say the majority of people who can dunk a basketball are a) over six feet tall, b) have less than 10% body fat, and c) can palm a basketball. I am 0/3 in this department, so I guess I'm going to have to work on leg strength.

Going back to the old strength gains program. Three weeks of 555333, and then the fourth week 333111 to continually assess 1RM. I forgot how much more taxing this is then continuously attempting the same load over several sets.

Bench Press, Wood Chop, Metcon

Late afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 205

Wood Chop 5 X 10
Load: 245

Attempted two rounds of an exercise to improve jumping ability. Resembled the SHDP but included an extra shrug and elevation up to toes. Did not feel comfortable or natural. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Pullups 2 X max
9, 7

Metcon

12 Deadlifts (260)
30 Double Unders
6 Deadlifts
20 Double Unders
3 Deadlifts
10 Double Unders

3:56

Workout comments: I full expect my lower back to be sore from the deadlifts tomorrow. I couldn't manage any pullups today so quit after 2 rounds. Figured I would give them a rest. Looking to get a long run in this weekend.

The tough mudder (toughmudder.com) is coming up in April and looks to be a pretty cool course. Even though they boast a "no results posted" attitude. The top 5% of all finishers are invited to the championships, which is a 48 hour endurance race. Seems pretty cool.

Early afternoon

Box Squats 5 X 5
Load: 195, 215, 215, 225, 235

Situps 5 X 20
*Supersets

HSPUs 4 X Max
12, 9, 7, 7

Weighted Step-Ups (30in box, #30 DBs) 4 X 10

1 mile easy jog followed by

Tabatta Hill Sprints 20s on: 10s off
Speed: 6:58 min/mile, grade=8%
Cooldown walk uphill

Workout comments: Right ring finger still pretty sore from last night so no pulling exercises today. Box squats were done using a Smith machine, which might have defeated the purpose of these. Still, they felt more difficult than normal squats having to unload and reload the legs at the bottom of each squat. HSPUs felt OK, but probably should try to dip further down on each rep. Maybe time to build a sturdier set of paralletes or even a dedicated HSPU station with pipes and 4X4 beams.



Pushups

Double Metcon, Basketball

Early afternoon

5 Rounds for Time:

10 Jump Squats
10 Suitcase Deadlifts (50 DBs)
10 KB Swings (50)
10 Burpees
10 Situps

13:31

Short rest

AMRAP in 7 minutes:

7 Pushups (hands off the ground in between)
7 Push Presses (50 DBs)

8 full rounds completed

Evening

About 1.5 hours of basketball. Jammed my right ring finger about 2 minutes into the first game. It's pretty swollen and hurts today so no pulling exercises.

Yet another day of running...

Early afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 3
Load: 195, 215, 225, 235, 245 (failed third rep)

Incline Situps 5 X 15
*Supersets

Cleans 4 X 3
120, 160, 160, 160

True Pushups 4 X 20
*Supersets

3 mile run in about 27 minutes

Workout comments: Strength portion of the workout felt difficult, which got me thinking about the concept of a successful strength workout. I've been spending my time hovering in the weight ranges that allow me to complete all sets without doubt (aka no spotter). I guess I allowed myself to fall into a routine of "completing all sets" even if it means the weight never increases or does so at a tortoise-like pace. Maybe mixing in a few "unsuccessful" days will produce the sort of muscle recovery needed for much faster improvement.

The run was a little boring. Only 3 miles but it was on the treadmill. This makes the fourth day in a row that I've run and I've had no ankle pain to report. It usually feels a bit stiff at the start, but that soon vanishes and I don't think I've had much soreness afterwards either. Good sign.

Strength/Short Run

Late afternoon

Squats 4 X 3
Load: 195, 215, 225, 225,

Strict Chinups (Neutral grip) 4 X 10
*Supersets

3 mile run, stopping each mile to perform max HSPUs.
29 minute run
HSPU: 12, 8, 11, 9

Workout comments: New PR on max HSPUs. Squats felt decent, not like the first time I tried them again a few weeks ago. No soreness afterwards. Almost all of the pain and stiffness in my ankle has vanished, leaving me with what I think is a fresh start to start training for something. Now the only soreness I have to look forward to is after a long weekend run.

Trail run

Early afternoon

Fighting the cold temperatures, Brigid and I headed out onto a 4-5 mile trail loop in the Wissahickon. I was definitely underdressed and could not shake the chills at several points during the run. We talked about signing up for a marathon in the Spring and the though of running something like the Philly marathon a few years ago pushed all aspirations of signing up for another marathon right out of my mind. It was 20 degrees at the start that year, and only barely above freezing at the finish. The ground surrounding all the water stops became a sheet of ice as the masses made their way through, throwing half empty cups on the ground. I think I read about one girl who slipped around mile 3 and had to stop running after that. It was cold.

At least running in the Spring carries the hope that temperatures will be milder. It's been two years now since I ran my last one. Probably should start thinking about it.

Today's run was about 6 miles in 54 minutes

Running intervals

Some short running intervals today on the treadmill. After about 2.5 miles easy running:

4 X 0.25 miles @ 6:00 min/mile pace

Form and composure felt especially decent during the first interval and the first half of the remaining intervals. I kept the workout fairly short. I wanted to see how my ankle would react during the following 24 hours.

Total of 4.1 miles in 32 minutes.

Strength

Early afternoon

Front Squat 5 X 5
Load: 155, 175, 185, 185, 185

Strict Chinups 5 X 10
*Supersets

Bench Press 4 X 5
Load: 195

Situps 4 X 20
*Supersets

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load: 265

Shoulder Press
Load: 130, 135, 135, 135

Hang Snatch Practice 3 X 5
Load: 85

Workout comments: Some soreness this morning in my hamstrings and ankles, but nothing too bad. Pretty good snatch practice session. All I need now is some guidance.

Modified Fight Gone Bad, Basketball

Early afternoon

Modified Fight Gone Bad

	R1	R2	R3
Wall Ball	45	38	50
SDHP	37	32	30
Box Jumps	20	17	12
Push Press	15	14	14
Double Unders	20	15	16
Total	137	116	122

Workout comments: Modification of the Fight Gone Bad workout. Total was 375. The rower is replaced with the double-unders. Had to take several breaks throughout the workout, which hurt my total reps. I just couldn't keep these up.

Evening

About 2 hours of basketball with the work league. Just an open gym tonight. I haven't played in almost 3 months, which is to say the game was pretty sloppy. Took some protein in after the game and slept well. Not as sore the following day as I expected to be.

Strength, Short Run

Late afternoon

HSPUs 4 X max reps
10, 10, 8, 6

Strict pullups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Power clean and jerk 4 X 3
140, 150, 150, 160

Wood Chop 4 X 10
230
*Supersets

3 mile run
27:00

Workout comments: The HSPUs continue to improve. I'm shooting for a goal of 20 unbroken HSPUs by the end of the year. Maybe it's time to try one of those military push push workouts. Seemed to work pretty well for the pullups.

The power cleans were a little difficult, especially when tacking on the jerk. But not impossible. Amazing how fast olympic movements leave you feeling significantly less sore than power lifting movements.

Strength

Early Afternoon

Bench Press 4, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 205, 195, 195, 195

Situps 4 X 20
*Supersets

Front Squat: 4 X 5
Load: 155, 165, 165, 175

Strict Chinups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load: 260

Dumbbell Press 4 X 5
Load: 130
*Supersets

Metcon

100 Back Squats for Time
Load: 135

9:05

Workout comments: Long strength day followed by short metcon. Broke up the squats into sets of 10.

Black Friday Trail Run

Black Friday and I decided to head down to the park for a long-ish trail run. I say long because I don't think I've done a run that lasted over an hour in about 3 months. I took a meandering root starting from Northwestern Ave and then cut over to the eastern side of the park at Bells Mill Rd. I made my way all the way down to Valley Green, where I cut back over and immediately went back up into the trails just after the Inn. There are two entrances near Valley Green. One is just before Valley Green Rd, which leads down to Forbidden Drive from Ridge Ave. This is the normal trail I take. The next trail is just after the Inn. These two entrances can't be more than a quarter mile apart, but they can easily add 1.5-2 miles onto a run.

It was later in the afternoon and except for a few hikers and mountain bikers, I don't think I saw too many people out. I've never mastered the art of running the early morning, probably remnants of a collegiate rowing career. 6AM on the water every morning in Philadelphia in nothing but spandex destroys your desire to be an early riser. But I'd say late afternoon runs in the fall/winter can be even better. Despite having the run loom over your head like ominous storm clouds, late afternoon runs offer the chance to catch the waning rays of sunlight before dropping below the treeline and a chance to run into a few deer along the way. Something I've done almost literally on a few occasions.

On this particular occasion, I decided to head out without my iPod for some "back to nature" running, and mostly because I had just read on article listing the many benefits of meditative running. According to the article, many recreational modern runners abhor the constant physical reminders of running: labored breathing, sore leg muscles, etc. Our minds turn to any other distraction to avoid thinking about running, which can easily be music. But this author suggests that by focusing on breathing, physical sensations, and our surroundings and ridding our minds of any extraneous thoughts, that our bodies will achieve a higher sense of fulfillment from running. It can allow the mind to re-charge itself. Hopefully, this individual will rediscover the joys of running.

I tried this technique with little success, but I would imagine that the mind needs practice in this area. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable run and I'll give this a try again in the future.

Not sure about mileage, maybe 9 in about 84 minutes.

Strength, Two Metcons

Early afternoon

Strength

Deadlift 4 X 5
Load: 260

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 10, 10, 5, 5
Load: 110, 130, 130, 130

Pullups 4 X 10
Sets of pullups were spread throughout the workout

Metcon
50 walking lunges
21 Push Press (80) 21 Pushups
Repeat this round with 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3 (50 walking lunges between each round)
17:14

5 rounds
15 second plank hold
AMRAP situps 30 seconds
30 seconds rest

Total situps across 5 rounds: 96

Cleans, Situps, Press, Metcon

Early afternoon

Cleans 5 X 3
Load: 140, 150, 160, 160, 170

Incline Situps 5 X 15
*Supersets

Barbell Press 4 X 5
Load: 120, 130, 140, 140

Metcon

AMRAP in 10 minutes
400m run
10 DB Thrusters (right arm) 45
10 DB Thrusters (left arm) 45

3 full rounds, plus I just missed finishing the 4th 400m. I finished the run anyway and finished in 10:21.

Workout comments: Surprisingly good feeling on the run. Set the treadmill at 6:30 pace, and this wasn't too difficult. Cleans were also a shock, although I'm still hesitant to increase the weight much more for fear of dropping it in the fitness center. Really need to start looking for my own set.

No soreness today.

Strength, Short Metcon

Early afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 195, 195, 195, 195, 205

Situps 5 X 20
*Superset

Squats 4 X 3
Load: 225

Pullups 4 X 8 (Neutral grip)
*Supersets

Metcon
Revised Annie

50, 40, 30, 20, 10

Double Unders
Burpees

12:45

I think my PR in the regular version of Annie is somewhere around 7 minutes. This was definitely a much tougher version, but I was dogging it during the burpees. I figured I need to make HSPUs, box jumps, and burpees a much more regular block of my workouts. They are the aspect of any workout I hate the most.

The bench press is getting better and better, while I'm continuing to make up lost ground on the squats.

Trail Run

Late afternoon

A brisk trail run with Brigid on Saturday afternoon. We took the trail section from Northwestern to Bells Mill and up the hill to the newly created meadow. We followed this for a while, making our way down to the Rex Ave bridge, across, and up into the trails on the eastern side of the creek back towards Bells Mill. Just as we were nearing the bridge, we heard our names being called and saw Brigid's mom walking on the other side of the creek on Forbidden Drive. I was amazed at how she spotted us from so far away, but then I realized Brigid was wearing a bright sky blue t-shirt. We were just about finished anyway, so we made a U-turn at the bridge and joined her for the walk back to Northwestern. We must have been moving, because out of nowhere, we happened across Brigid's two uncles who were out walking the dog. Apparently they get out under the guise of walking the dog for an hour, but really only go for about 15 minutes and then sneak over to Brittingham's for a beer. Classic.

Unknown distance: 43 minutes.

Strength

Strength

Deadlift 4 X 3
Load 260

Situps 4 X 20
*Superset

Metcon

AMRAP in 3 minutes
3 Power Cleans (140)
6 Pushups
9 Air Squats
*9 Dips

*Alternate dips and air squats between each round.

Repeat this 3 minute attempt 4 times, with 1 minute rest between rounds.

3 rounds + 3 reps
3 rounds + 9 reps
3 rounds + 8 reps
3 rounds + 7 reps

Workout comments: Deadlifts are progressing well, yet another exercise that has lost ground since I haven't done it in over 2 months. The dips killed me during the metcon, killing my heartrate and making the subsequent rounds so much tougher to finish.

Bench Press, Wood Chop, Squats, Pullups

Early afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 205

Wood Chop 5 X 10
Load: 245
*Supersets

Squats 10 X 2
Load: 195

Pullups 10 X 4
Mix between regular and neutral grip

Workout comments: Nothing to report. Nothing felt too sore after yesterday, but I did sleep for about 9.5 hours.

Strength, Short Trail Run

Early afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 195

Wood Chop 5 X 10 each side
Load: 245
*Supersets

Squats 10 X 2
Load: About 220

Pullups 10 X 2
* Supersets. I alternated between neutral and normal grips pullups.

Late afternoon

Short trail run in the Wissahickon. The effect of daylight savings time is finally taking its effect, although the weather is slow to catch up. I can still run in shorts and and t-shirt. But the light is waning and soon I'll need a headlamp if I want to continue these after-work runs. I have to leave the headphones at home, because running the last hours of daylight is usually a guarantee of making your way across a few deer. They must be so used to people at this point that they don't move until you are right on them, and running on the trails requires more concentration on your foot placement then what's 50 yards ahead. I'm lucky if it's just a doe, but today they were accompanied by a pretty large stag. The last time I came across one of these, it had a small fawn with it and started chasing me down Forbidden Drive. By the time I knew what happened, they were bounding off through the trees, and the snapping branches is what caught my attention in the first place. Still pretty amazing that you can find a place like this in a large city.

Unknown distance in about 32 minutes.

Metcon

Early afternoon

1, 2...10 rep rounds of the following:

Push Press 100
Pushups
Front Squats 100
Double Unders
Power Cleans
Situps
Box Jumps
KB Swings 50
Pullups
Burpees

Workout comments: I didn't make it through to the 10th round. The 9th round took me close to 8 minutes to finish, and I was already at 38:30. I had a huge pile of sweat and aching hamstrings to show for it. Extremely tough workout to finish. Maybe a future goal of finishing in under 30 minutes? The pullups were also strict.

Squats, Power Cleans, Situps, Pushups

Early afternoon

Squats 5 X 5
Load: 105, 155, 175, 195, 195

Situps 4 X 20
*Supersets

Power Cleans 5 X 5
Load: 140

Pushups 5 X 15
*Supersets

Workout comments: Very sore in the quads from the walking lunges on Tuesday and the hamstrings from the deadlifts. I'm still keeping the loads relatively light to allow my body to adjust. The power cleans felt very easy at 140, but I'll have to look into what my max used to be. Squats should have been done at ~230.

Short Trail Run

Early afternoon

Short Run around Malvern, through the quarry and following the stream, skipping the nature preserve. Maybe 4.5 miles in 40 minutes. Very slow pace to alleviate some of the ankle pain I felt after the run on Friday.

Late afternoon

Metcon

For time:

15, 25, 35

Double Unders

Swings (30#)

Thrusters (30#)

Box Jumps

Situps

Then, untimed:

2 Rounds (AMRAP 30s)

Dips

Decline Pushups

V Sits

One-legged squats (each leg, one leg elevated behind on box)

Plank hold

Workout comments: Unbroken double under rounds (except for the first round when the rope was too short). Did not expect this, but it was almost easier than I remembered. The second rope I used was definitely too long.

Bench Press, Wood Chip, Boot Camp

Early afternoon

Strength

Bench Press 5 X 3
Load: 205, 225, 225, 235, 245

Wood Chop 5 X 10 (each side)
Load: 230

Metcon
5 Rounds for Time

20 OH Walking Lunges 45#
15 DUs
10 Contralateral Pushups
5 Box Jumps 18in

12:34

Ab work

Workout comments: I guess all the upper body work is paying off. Tied my old PR for the 1RM, but doing 3RM. Of course, I was using the equipment in Spring House, which I think is always just a little different than what I've been using in Malvern.

First time doing a serious metcon in a while. Went better than I expected. I only really got held up on the box jumps, but mostly because I'm still thinking I'm going to slip like the last time. They are not the most reliable boxes. Lungs and muscles were burning, but I was still moving through everything pretty quickly. I was defintely feeling the cleans and deadlifts in my hamstrings from yesterday.

Squat Cleans, Deadlifts, Pushups

Early afternoon

Cleans 5 X 5
Load: 120, 120, 130, 130, 130

Pushups 5 X 15
*Supersets

Deadlifts 4 X 5
Load: 210, 260, 260, 260

Pushups 4 X 20
*Supersets

Workout comments: Nothing really to report. Deadlifts and cleans felt good, but I learned my lesson after the VERY sore legs from squats last week and kept the weight relatively light. This serves a duel purpose: keeps me injury free and boosts confidence.

Swimming Intervals

Late afternoon

WU: 10 laps easy (2 Touch and Go laps)

Main: 20s on, 10s off
25y, 25, 25, 25, 24, 24, 24, 24

CD: 5 laps easy

Workout comments: Swimming these types of timed intervals are difficult because it's hard to gauge distance in an unmarked pool, plus you just tend to lose count of the laps after a certain number. But these intervals were short and I just tried to shoot for a full pool length on each interval. The short rest caught up with me on the last 4 intervals, and I fell just short of a full pool length on each one. Still the first four felt very good, strong, and efficient. But that's coming from me.

HSPUs, SU, Run

Early afternoon

Strength

HSPU 4 X Max reps
10, 6, 6, 9

Incline Situps 4 X 15
*Supersets

Easy Run 4.5 miles
42 minutes

Workout comments: After minimal discomfort (in my ankle) after a mile on the treadmill yesterday, I braved the unknown and ran with Paul R. for ~4 easy miles around Malvern. I haven't run in more than 2 months, and it's as though I completely missed a season. Sure, I've been outside walking around and in my backyard pretty often, but when you haven't run outside in such a prolonged period of time, it's as if you are experience everything with brand new eyes. It's not early November, but despite the chillier than usual weather we've been having the past few weeks, I almost expected to walk outside to the sweltering temperatures I left in the middle of the summer. I should have packed a long-sleeved T-shirt.

The route was pretty much the same route as they always take, but it will probably take a few times before I can clear the cobwebs from my brain. The recent rain that came a few weeks back must have totally rearranged the trail at one point, and you could see the spots where the small creek was totally overflowing, debris piled up everywhere. At one point there was a massive piece of lumber, maybe 2' X 2' and almost 35-40 feet long that had become lodged on a tree which hung about 10 feet over the now receded creek. Amazing the power of water.

Squats, Pullups, Shoulder Press, Short Run

Early afternoon

Squats 8 X 2
Load: 225, 225, 175 for the rest.

Pullups 8 X 4
*Supersets

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 X 5
Load: 120

Incline Situps 4 X 20

1 mile run: 9:48

Workout comments: No pain in the right ankle during any of the workout today. Even after the initial warmup, 225 was WAY too much weight for this workout, which crushed all hopes that somehow my fitness had somehow magically remained even after 2 months of lower body inactivity. The run felt a little tough, but mostly because my legs were shot from the squats.

Strength

Early afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 3
195, 215, 225, 235, 235(failed third rep)

Strict Chinups 3 X 10

Should Press 3 X 5
Load: 110

Workout comments: New PR for the 3RM Bench Press. It's been so long since I've attempted a 1RM (245) that I'm really curious about what it might be now. Hopefully something above 260 and I would be happy.

Doctor's appointment tomorrow to see about my foot. Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. The time since injury now is almost 9 months. I don't think I've ever had any kind of affliciton that has lasted this long.

BP, SU, PU, SP

Morning

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 195

Situps 5 X 20
*Supersets

Strict Pullups 5 X 10

Shoulder Press 5 X 5
Load: 135
*Supersets

Workout comments: Bench press and shoulder press were done with normal barbell. Shoulder press and pullups were relatively easy. Time to start increasing the weight.

HSPUs, SU, CU, BP

Early afternoon

HSPUs 5 X max
10, 8, 8, 7, 7

Weighted Incline Situps 4 X 15
Load: 25
*Supersets

Weighted Chinups 5, 5, 4, 4
Load: 40

Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press 4 X 15 (each arm)
Load: 45

Workout comments: After only one session, I noticed a big increase in max HSPUs. Shoulder pain is a thing of the past these days, and I think it's entirely due to the stretching program using the lacrosse balls on my vertebrae and the added stretching that comes with swimming. When in doubt with any sort of upper body pain...swim.

Swimming Time Trial

Late afternoon

WU: 350y focusing on Touch and Go Drill (Catch-Up Stroke)

Main: 10 min time trial
~540y total

CD: 5 laps easy

Workout comments: The technique work beforehand definitely added some speed to the workout, really helping me stretch out and stress more quality strokes rather than quantity. I'm still waiting for the day when I can squeeze in an extra lap into a designated time period, shedding the 1 min/lap pace I've been hovering around so far.

Strength

Early afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 3
Load: 215, 225, 225, 225, 225

Wood Chop 5 X 10 (each side)
Load: 80
* Supersets

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 X 5
Load: 100, 110, 110, 120

Pullups 4 X 15
*Supersets

Workout comments: Two great points from today. 1) I noticed almost no shoulder pain during both the bench press and shoulder press, which is usually not the case during these movements. 2) I defintely felt underworked during the kipping pullups today. The last set felt almost too easy. I could have easily knocked out 20. I think most of the benefits have come from simply wrapping tape around the handles. What were they thinking wrapping the grips in smooth rubber? Sweat instantly turns to vaseline on those things.

Last week wearing the boot. Still some minor aches from wearing it, and I'm worried my ankle stability will have surely suffered during the long period of inactivity. If the prognosis comes back with added time out, I'm blowing it off, having received multiple reports from runners with similar injuries stating they simply ran until it didn't hurt anymore. Modern medicine is great, but when the doctor spends less than 10 minutes with you before moving on to the next patient, it makes you question how important your healing actually is.

Swimming Intervals

Afternoon

WU: 5 laps easy

Workout: 5 X 350y with 2 minutes rest
6:45, 6:45, 7:06

Total distance: 26 laps (1300y)

Workout comments: Longer high intensity intervals continue to be my weakest link. I can only seem to maintain about 3-4 laps of quality form (at least my own interpretation) before I start to feel my muscles failing. I've been having difficulty breathing on both sides and noticed that bilateral breathing causes more faults in my form. Unilateral breathing helps cut out extra body movements and allows me to focus more on consistency. However, I know that breathing every stroke is causing extra drag through the water. Hopefully endurance will start to appear soon.

Incline Bench, Pullups, Swimming Intervals

Afternoon

Incline Bench Press 4 X 5
Load: 135, 155, 155, 155

Kipping Pullups 3 X 15

Swimming Intervals

WU: 5 easy laps

Main: 3 X (50y, 100y, 200y)
*Rest exactly the amount of time it takes to complete each interval.

1. 0:51, 1:45, 3:48
2. 0:48, 1:45, 3:43
3. 0:47, 1:45, 3:44

Workout comments: Oddly, I felt better and more rested on each piece than I did on the previous set. I was pushing pretty hard on the 50y and 100y pieces, and didn't really start to feel my form fail until the 200y intervals. Every so often I catch a glimpse of someone swimming who is either a beginner or just has no idea what he/she is doing. I'm glad I can't really see myself or I would be totally de-motivated. Still, the workout today felt productive.

Bench Press, Chinups, Shoulder Press

Late evening

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 195
*20 Situps after each set

Chinups 4 X 10
Shoulder Press 4 X 6
Load: 100, 110, 110, 110

One round of metabolic arm progression for good measure. Wasn't really feeling it today though.

Workout comments: Ahhh commercial gyms. They are superior to my work gym because they offer much more of a selection, a lot more weight, and legitimate squat racks and bench press stations, not just smith machines. Plus they have a pool. But I made the mistake of going last night around 6:30, and virtually every weight station was taken up. I was lucky to squeeze in where I could, but a workout during peak hours here defintely takes longer than when you can move around unimpeded.

A good note is that I always thought that the Smith machine was somehow giving me false results, since the bar is virtually weightless and there really is no work done on your stabilizer muscles. But the last few times I've tried the real bar, it has seemed easier than expected, especially with a close grip. Of course this will all be moot as soon as my ankle heals and I can start running and biking again.

Swim Time Trial

Late afternoon

WU: 250y focusing on staying long, lowering stroke count, and thumb-to-thigh.

Workout: 600y time trial
11:57

CD: 100y

Workout comments: Made some good progress today on maintaining flip turns throughout a tough workout. However, I did feel as though I lowered my intensity a bit in order to save form, and it seemed to work. I swam the last two laps in 1:50, which is defintely better than I have been doing towards the end of the longer workouts. Still, I must look like an idiot splashing around in my lane, trying to attempt an organized workout. That's why I love swimming next to the "aquatics/rehab" lane. All the old people get frustrated as I swim by them and splash water on their perms.

Strength

Early afternoon

Bench Press 10, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3
Loads: 105, 175, 215, 225, 230, 230(failed 3rd rep)

Shoulder Press 5 X 5
Load: 100

Weighted Pullup 5 X 4
Load: 40

Workout comments: Low energy levels today, lethargic towards the end of the workout. Going on almost 6 weeks since any running/biking.

Finished a book yesterday called "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". The book contains the running/triathlon related anecdotes of a 50-something Japanese novelist. It summarizes his upbringing and events which led to his interest in running, but mainly deals with his struggles with declining race times and ultimate cathartic acceptance of his aging and re-acquainted joy of running. It was a bunch BS. I've often heard that writers/novelists themselves can be very narcissistic and egocentric, which is definitely apparent from this guy's style. He speaks of himself as though he were a part of the elite running community, yet he continually draws near the lower end of the results list. The tone often suggests that the reader has no business even attempting to run (or write a novel) if he/she hasn't realized their talent already. Because that's what it takes to become either, a healthy dose of God-given talent, which essentially can't be learned or taught. Please. It was definitely a struggle to get through this book.

Swimming Intervals

Early morning

WU: 250y with paddles, thumb to thigh drill

Workout: 5 X 200y
30s rest-->do not deviate more than 5 sec from fastest time

3:49, 3:48, 3:49, 3:49, 3:52

Total distance: 1300y

Comments: Having a difficult time keeping stroke rate down, while breathing somewhat comfortably. Low stroke rate + high intensity = breathing every stroke, which definitely takes a toll on aerodynamics.

Strength/Metcon

Early afternoon

One armed pushups 4 X 5 (each arm)


5 Rounds for time
5 Muscle Ups
10 Push Presses (120#)
15 Situps

8:05

Incline Dumbbell Press 4 X 5
Load: 130#

Planks 4 X 30s
*Supersets

Workout comments: Not sure on proper form for pushups, but had some slight shoulder pain on these. Seems light I haven't attempted an honest metcon in forever. This one wasn't half bad.

HSPU, SU, CU, BP

Early afternoon

HSPU 5 X max
7, 5, 6, 5, 5

Weighted Incline Situps 5 X 10
Load: 25#
*Supersets

Weighted Chinups 4 X 4
Load: 40#

Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press 4 X 15 (each arm)
Load: 45#

Workout comments: Nothing new to report. HSPUs were not great by any means but the first round felt surpringly easy. I felt like I could have done at least 10, but lost my balance right after 7. Should replace shoulder presses with these every so often.

Late Afternoon

Bench Press 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 105, 175, 205, 210, 210, 210

Knees to Elbows 4 X 10

Wood Chop 4 X 10 (each side)
Load: 80#
*Supersets

3 X Max Pullups
12, 10, 10

Shoulder Press 3 X 5
Load: 100#
*Supersets

Workout comments: Have been wearing this support boot now for almost 5 weeks to help heal a bone lesion I suffered back in February. It seems to be working well. I still feel a little soreness every now and then, but nothing like I used to be feeling. When it's time to put it on in the morning, sometimes I forget which foot it goes on. That should be a good sign.

Having it on for the past 5 weeks means I haven't been able to run or do anything short of swim and upper body exercises. No I don't look like Popeye. But I have learned the value of stretching and recovery, since I've been focusing on this part of my body for the past several weeks. After the first week I was sure my shoulders would never loosen up. But a few sessions a week with a foam roller will work wonders.

If the doctor says I can gradually progress back into running, I'm going to shoot for an ultra next summer or fall. We'll see about where.

Swimming Intervals

Late afternoon

WU: 200y with paddles, 50y without. Practicing length and lowering stroke count.

Workout: 2 X 8:00 min with 3 min rest.

Completed just over 400y during each interval. Breathing became very labored during the end portions of these intervals, mostly due to the increased use of flip turns probably. Still, there is something to be said about increasing aerodynamics and reducing drag, as opposed to increasing propulsion through the water. Tiredness brings out a tendency to "speed" things" up, whether by increasing stroke rate or increasing power. Focusing on slicing through the water takes much more dedication.

Bench Press, Weighted Situps, Weighted Pullups, Push Press, Swimming Intervals

Early afternoon

Bench Press 4 X 5
Load: 195#

Weighted Incline Situps 4 X 15
Load: 25

Weighted Pullups 4 X 5
Load: 35

Push Presses 4 X 10
Load: 115#

Swimming Intervals

AMRAP in 20 minutes:

Swim 50 yards, rest 30 seconds.

15 total rounds

Workout comments: All the intervals were between 47 and 52 seconds. Not sure if this is decent pacing since the distance is so short. I tried to focus on decreasing stroke count over the length of the pool.

Swim

Early afternoon

Metabolic Arm Progression (3 Rounds)

Weighted Situps
Load: 25

3 Rounds for Time:
15 Pullups
15 Shoulder Presses (100#)

5:50

Late afternoon

Tempo Swim

1000 yards for time

20:48

Workoout comments: Swallowing water in the middle of a flip turn feels great.

Bench Press, Wood Chop, Chinups, Shoulder Press

Early Afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 205#

Wood Chop (10 each side)
Load: 90? (Malvern)
*Supersets

Weighted Strict Chinups 4 X 5
Load: 30

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 X 5
Load: 100
*Supersets

Workout comments: I've been trying this new warmup involving a drill I saw on the CF website. It was designed by Kelly Starrett, and involves taking two lacrosse balls taped together, and placing under the vertebrae while lying on the floor. Take both hands and place them above your head, gently oscillating up and down. Gradually move the lacrosse balls up your back, one vertebrate at a time. The whole drill should take only two minutes.

I was hestitant to try this, but was surprised to find today that my shoulder pain has significantly subsided during warmups on the bench press, and in particular, during the DB shoulder presses. This could be due to my increase in swimming the past week, which could be stretching out my shouders and lats. Or it could have been the decreased weight I used during the shoulder presses. Either way, I'm happy with the results.

Both the bench press and the shoulder press felt easier than usual. It's a different world when you don't have to worry about nagging aches and pains.

Swimming

I got in a short swim at Drexel before class. I can only manage 30-40 minutes in the pool, since the swim team practices until 6 and I have class at 7. This seems like the perfect amount of time for a Crossfit Endurance workout. On the schedule for today was

4 X 5 min with 3 minutes of rest between intervals.

I modified this to:

3 X 250m with 2 minutes rest

I know it takes me roughly 1 minute to swim 50m at an easy pace, plus distance is much easier to calculate when you can't monitor your watch.

I warmed up with 5 easy laps with hand paddles. Then on to the workout:

4:21, 4:21, 4:13

This was probably the first time I attempted some strenuous swimming workout in a few years and I didn't really know what to expect. I'm pretty satisfied that I have some sort of baseline finally to work with.

Swimming

Early afternoon

I renewed my membership at my local gym this weekend. Surprising how cheap the monthly membership was even with the looming winter. Usually this is when most gyms jack up their prices just in time for the droves of people trying to escape the Northeast cold. I can't believe how quickly the weather has changed in Philadelphia. In the span of two weeks (filled mostly with rain) we have experienced a 20 degree drop in temperature. We saw regular temperatures in the low to mid 90s, followed by temperatures now in the high 60s. What happened to the four seasons? The temperature last night I think dropped below 50, since the thermometer on my car read 51 this morning.

I squeezed in about 30 minutes of swimming this afternoon. I stopped caring about counting the number of laps, since it makes time really drag by. I figure I can do my best at estimating the distance based on how fast (or slow) I know I am swimming.

Metabolic Arm Progression, Incline Situps, Bench Press, Death By Chinups

Early afternoon

3 Rounds
Metabolic Arm Progression
15 Weighted Situps
Load 25

Death by Chinups
10 total rounds

Bench Press 3 X 20
Load 135


Workout comments: Feeling very tired today. Humidity is a killer. The northeast is supposed to get slammed by rain today and tomorrow.

Shoulder Press, Back Extension,

Shoulder Press 4 X 5
Load: 130

Back Extensions 4 X 15
Load: 35

Weighted Pullups 4 X 5
Load: 25

Wood Chop 4 X 10 (each side)
Load: 80

Workout comments: Shoulder presses felt pretty tough. Tough to gauge whether I should be reeling back with the way my shoulder has been feeling. I don't think I'll ever be able to obtain a true 1RM, but working them regularly could defintley help with pushups and swimming.

Bench Press, Back Extension, Wood Chop, Revised Angie

Early afternoon

Bench Press 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 105, 175, 205, 205, 205, 205

Back Extensions 4 X 10
Load: 25

Wood Chop-10 each side
Load: 80?

Angie
100 Pullups
100 Pushups
100 Situps

18:43

Early evening

25 minute swim. About 1150 m.

Workout comments: The bench press felt real good. My grip was pretty close as well. I think the metabolic arm progression has really been helping to strengthen my triceps. I've read this can often be a limiting factor in increasing bench press. I also read another interesting article on the crossfit journal about conjugate variation in terms of strength gains. The basic message of the article was that neural pathways often take much longer to recover than skeletal muscle does. However, by varying the exercise even in the slightest manner (adding resistance bands, bar thickness, hand/feet placement, etc) can put demands on entirely different neural pathways, than practicing the same exercise week after week. In addition, train week areas of the lift with smaller lifts to improve overall conditioning. For example, week hamstrings or glutes during the squat can be improved by working on good mornings.

Interesting thought. I wonder how they can scientifically test for this sort of thing, or if they practice one particular methodology, and then interpret the results accordingly.

Bench Press, Weighted Incline Situps, Metcon

Early afternoon

Bench Press 10, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3
Loads: 105, 175, 215, 225, 225, 225

Weighted Incline Situps 4 X 15
Load: 25
*Supersets

Performed one set of 15 kipping pullups after the first set.

Metcon

15 Pullups
15 Back Extensions
10 Push Presses-Uneven Load: 40 on one side, 30 on the other, 100 total.

10:36

Workout comments: Nothing to report. Measured body fat percent using hand held device in Spring House this past week. 17.1% . We'll see if that increases or decreases while wearing this boot.

Metabolic Arm Progression, Chinups, Pullups, Situps

Late Afternoon

4 Rounds

3 Pullups
3 Chinups
15 Situps
Metabolic Arm Progression
10 Knees to Elbows

Workout comments: The first three rounds were completed with a weighted vest (20#). The last round was done without one.

Shoulder Press, Chinups, Back Extensions, Metcon

Early afternoon

Shoulder Press 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 60, 90, 120, 130, 130, 130, 130

Chinups 5 X 10

Back Extensions 5 X 15
*Supersets

Metcon
20 Incline Dumbbell Presses (#90)
10 Wood Chops (#80) each side

5:50

One legged squats 3 X 10
Load: 35, 35, 55

Metabolic Arm Progression, Pullups, Incline Situps

Early Afternoon

4 Rounds Untimed

15 Pullups

15 Weighted Incline Situps (25#)

Metabolic Arm Progression (all with Med Ball)
-5 One Arm Pushoffs
10 Crossover Pushups (5 each arm)
15 Close Grip Pushups
5 Depth Pushups

Workout comments: Performed the the first round of pullups as max strict pullups and ended up with 16. This was the test following the previous 10 days of the Military Pullups program. I'm satisfied with 16. I was hoping to break 20, but over 15 was a number I could live with. I'll try this again in a month or two and see if I can't get about 20. I'll have to test max kipping pullups soon and see where I end up.

Bench Press, Back Extensions, Metcon, Med Ball Pushups, Wood Chop,

Early afternoon

Bench Press 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Load: 105, 175, 205, 215, 215, 215, 215

Weighted Back Extensions 4 X 15
Load: 25
*Supersets

Metcon
5 Pseudo Muscle-Ups
10 Push Presses (100#)
15 Situps

7:58

Depth Jump Pushups (with med ball) 5, 10, 10, 10
Wood Chop, 10 both sides (185#) 20, 20, 20, 20

Shoulder Press, Wood Chop, Incline Bench Press, Back Extensions

Early afternoon

Shoulder Press 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 60, 90, 120, 120, 120, 120, 120

Wood Chop 5 X 20 (10 each side)
*Supersets

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3 X 20
Load: 90

Back Extensions
3 X 15
*Supersets

Late afternoon

Military Pullup Workout

Supersets
Max Strict Pullups 11, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 6, 6
10 Bench Dips
20 Pushups
30 Crunches

~25 minutes

Workout comments: Nearing the end of the pullup regimen. I'll take a few days off from this and then retest myself on max strict pullups in a few days, probably on Wednesday. My max at the beginning of the program was 10 pullups. I'm hoping for 15+???

Bench Press, Push Press, Military Pullup Workout

Early afternoon

Strength

Bench Press 10, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Loads: 105, 175, 205, 215, 215, 215, 215

Weighted Back Extensions 5 X 10
Load: 25
*Supersets

Dumbbell Push Presses 4 X 10
Load: 100

Strict Chinups 4 X 5
*Supersets

Early evening

Military Pullup Workout
Pyramid
Pullups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6,...1
Pushups X 2
Situps X 5

Notes: I can defintely feel a difference in the pullups since a few weeks ago. I had attempted this pyramid once before and could not even make it past 5 pullups. I'm hoping I can smash that first benchmark of 10 in a week or so.

Military Pullups Workout

50 Ongoing Pullups throughout the night in small sets on the tree in my backyard. This is supposed to be a supplementary workout program but I haven't had much of a chance to get back to the gym lately.

Military Pullup Workout

I skipped yesterday's presciption of 50 ongoing pullups. I hope that doesn't affect my progress too much. Today was 10 supersets of the following:

Max Strict Pullups (10, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 3, 6, 6) 64 total
10 Bench Dips
20 Pushups (mixed neutral and wide grip)
30 Situps (eventually switched to 10 situps and 20 crunches)

Started each superset on the 3-minute mark. 30 minutes total.

Military Pullup Workout

Odd days on this program involved alternating a superset scheme and a pyramid scheme. I performed the latter today.

Pullups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 6,...1
Pushups 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14,...2
Situps 5, 10, 15,...

These exercises are performed with NO rest.

Shoulder Press, Weighted Incline Situps, Back Extensions, Incline Bench

Early afternoon

DB Shoulder Press 5 X 5
Loads: 100, 110, 120, 120, 120

Weighted Incline Situps 5 X 10
Load: 25
*Supersets

DB Incline Bench Press 3 X 20
Load: 90

Back Extensions 3 X 15
*Supersets

Military Pull-up Workout
Continuing this program...Even days call for 25-50 pullups done in one session or throughout the day in small sets. I did 50 today mixed throughout the normal workout, broken down into groups of 5. Since I only did half of the workout yesterday, I'll probably tack on another day at the end of the 10 days.

Nothing sore to report.

Bench Press, Miliary Pullup Workout

Early afternoon

Bench Press 10, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5
105, 175, 195, 195, 195, 195

Military Pullup Workout

10 Supersets (only did 5)
Max Pullups
5 Dips
20 Pushups
30 Situps

This took close to 20 minutes, and I was feeling pretty sore towards the end of this. I'll try and cut the reps in half next time and keep the total number of supersets the same.

About 3.5 hours of continous 3-man volleyball games after work. Not very cardiovasculary tiring, but you realize once you get home how much you work. Found this today on the web...seems pretty interesting...

Hooverball

Metcon, Hill repeats

Early afternoon

For Time:

15, 10, 5 reps of

DB Thrusters (2 X 50#)
KB Swings (#53)
Pullups

5:30

Short rest

1 mile warmup
2 X 3/4 mile hill repeats (treadmill) 7% grade
3 min rest between repeats

6:46, 7:23

Short cooldown

Trail Run

Normal loop in the Wissahickon, starting and ending at Northwestern Drive and crossing over at the Valley Green Inn. It felt slow and arduous, which was confirmed by my watch at the end. Still it was fun to be back out there.

1:01 gave me about 6 miles.

Cleans, Push Press, Short Run

Cleans 3 X 10
120#

Push Press 3 x 10
120#
*Supersets

Short 5K run with Paul and Chris R. Mostly hilly with short trails mixed in.

800m Repeats

A very hot and scorching day today, temperatures probably reaching 95+ in the sun. The thermometer in my car read 101F when we finished. I hope that's not accurate. A few people from work make it a regular habit to run 800m repeats on Thursdays on a stretch of road called Flat Rd. No it's not a joke. Ironically, there is a slight increase in grade directly in the middle portion, right where both directions end. Here's the breakdown:

2:57
2:53
2:54
3:06

I definitely pulled back during the last repeat, thinking I was saving myself for the final hill. Unfortuntately, I found myself too far back off my pace coming around the first turn, and the deficit was just too much to make up in the final minute. I'm sure my legs will be feeling this later.

Rest Day, Golf

Nothing strenuous today, just 3 hours of golf or so with my dad. Soon we'll have to start walking these courses to make it more difficult.

Deadlift, Chinups, Bench Press, Incline Situps

Deadlifts 4 X 3
Load: 280#

Chinups 4 X 10
*Supersets

Dumbbell Bench Press 4 X 10
Load: 150#

Incline Situps 4 X 15
*Supersets

Running

A good week of rest this week, with a few runs mixed in. Nothing recorded. I think Tuesday actually may have been the only real day I ran this week.

Running, Pushups

Late afternoon

450 Pushups through the day, followed by approx 3.5 miles running in 30 minutes, barefoot.

Workout comments: Note to self. No longer run barefoot at the shore unless running on the beach alone. Too many small shards of broken glass to risk running on the street and sidewalks. No cuts today but it wouldn't be long.

I'm working towards getting 1000 pushups done in a single day. The task is arduous and boring, and I don't see myself completing it until I can finish a greater quanity in a single stretch.

Daniel

WU: 1000m row

Workout: Daniel

50 PU (sub 30)
400m run
#95 Thruster, 21 reps
800m run
#95 Thruster, 21 reps
400m run
50 PU (sub 30)


14:34

Workout comments: Searching through the Crossfit database, there is such a huge library of workouts that involve some combination of running intervals mixed with moderate weight movements. These are the workouts that I like the most, because they mix up a bit of everything. Pullups and thrusters were not too bad, but I wouldn't sign myself up for a PR in Fran anytime soon.

On a side note, the ankle injury that has been plaguing me for 6 months now is back. It really feels no better or worse than it has in last 30 days, and that's where the problem is. I had followed the doctor's advice and not run on it for over a month, and just started to again recently a few times a week. Never feeling any real pain during exercise, it is usually very tight and moderately sore in the morning, and I will occasionally feel a sharp twang of pain if I step on it the wrong way. I had received both X-rays and MRIs, but the doctor could not say conclusively what my problem was. He suggested some sort of scan, then possibly rehab, and surgery if all else fails. I love his methodolgy: I can't tell you what the problem is, so I'll prescribe everything in the book and see if I get lucky. Great.

I'm going to try a new doctor, someone recommended in the annual Phillymag TopDocs issue. I hope they can treat this issue better.

Squat cleans, Pushups, Short Metcon

Squat cleans 5 X 5
Load: 130, 140, 150, 150, 150

Pushups 5 X 50
* Performed as supersets, with 3 minutes rest following the pushups.

This is the first time I could perform the squat clean with a decent amount of weight. In the past, I was always afraid of dropping the weight on the floor (or on myself). But starting out with #130, which I know I can do easily, made it seem mentally easier. Maybe now I can start progressing upwards in weight.

Metcon

3 rounds for time:

50 DUs
20 KB swings #45
40 OH walking lunges #45 plate

12:54

OH walking lunges. They'll get you every time.

Another Sea Isle run

Another 4.5 miles with Brigid, this time through the streets. The temperature difference between the beach and the town much be 10 degrees. Add the breeze onto that, and running in town is just miserable. We knocked out a few miles before turning around and heading home.

Squats, Incline Bench, Run

Squats 9 X 2
Load: 175 (60% 1RM)

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 9 X 5
Load 120

Immediately following: ~5 mile run through Malvern with Chris and Paul. All paved. Legs were feeling pretty tired in the afternoon heat. Chris and I broke away after a moderate section on the newly constructed Chester Valley Trail, part of Obama's stimulus package that Pa picked up. I remember a few years ago I stopped to run on this trail on my way home from Malvern. The trail crosses Rt. 76 near the KOP mall. I was dissappointed when I reached the end after about 1.5 miles. Apparently, this construction project will join that part of the trail with the section that cuts through Malvern. That would be pretty nice.

Bench PressRowing Intervals, Trail Run

Bench Press
4 X 5
Load 205, 195 (4), 195, 195

Strict Chinups
4 X 10
*Performed as supersets.

Rowing intervals
30:20

Average splits between 1:38 and 1:42.

About 5 miles on the trails with Paul and Chris. Nothing too eventful. Paul and I broke off and did an extra stretch through the trails. The heat and humidity were almost the worst I can imagine.

45:30.

Beach Run

5 easy miles in Sea Isle. Barefoot on the beach with Brigid. Good run.

Moderate run, 400 Pushups

Early afternoon



A moderate run around Malvern during lunch today with Paul, Brian, and Raph. We ran the route they called the Diamond Rock loop. The heat started out humid and almost overbearing. The middle section of the run entered some wooded areas, so the shade offered a little relief. But making our way into the latter miles of the run, the sun beat down on our faces and backs. I wished like crazy that THE END was near.



All day



Throughout the day, I'm making it my goal to complete 1000 pushups. I did 200 this morning: 10 on the top of every minute for 20 minutes. It wasn't that tough, but it was mentally draining. I did another 100 this afternoon before the run in two sets: probably less than 5 minutes. A final 100 after work and I just ran out of time. I didn't make it out of work until after 7 and then headed back down the shore.

1000 Air Squats

The infamously boring workout is back, hopefully to be finished in much less time than before. Last attempt a few months ago put me at approx. 43 minutes. I threw in many breaks, probably more to rest my mind than my body. For this round, I timed my first 100 and tried to keep that pace through the rest of the sets, with only a few seconds of rest in between 100s. Not surprisingly, I beat my last attempt by nearly 13 minutes.

1000 Air Squats
31:30

Count of Monte Cristo was on TV during this one. A good movie can keep your mind off of things, but it can also be dangerous because you may lose count.

Squats, Pushups, Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength

Squats 5 X 5*
Load: 218# (76% 1RM)

5 X 30 Pushups*
Performed as supersets

3 minutes rest between sets

Metcon

AMRAP in 10 minutes

6 Squat Cleans (120#)
12 Pullups
24 Double Unders

5 Rounds + 4 reps

Workout comments: I was not feeling up to working out after coming in this morning. But felt good during the squat portion (although later I would realize I was actually 10 pounds off what I was supposed to be lifting) and my pushups felt great, going unbroken in the first, third and last round. The metcon went OK. Of course I flew through the first round in 80 seconds and later rounds would take much longer. All in all a good workout.

Malvern Group Trail Run Up the Cut

Early afternoon

Braving the midday heat were several coworkers headed out into Malvern and the surrounding area for a trail run. I happened to get swept up into the thick of things and joined them, testing out the stability of my ankle yet again. I have been running/playing on it roughly once per week for the last 2-3 weeks and aside from some faint soreness it really hasn't been bothering me.

The workout headed down some roads and finally onto some trails carved out by what I think are some 4-wheelers, or possibly some access roads to the power lines that cut through the area. Which brings me to the name of the main hill in this route: the cut. I haven't asked anyone why specifically it's called this, but I'm sure I'll find out later.

The cut isn't a long arduous hill. In fact, there is a much longer, winding trail up the hill that meets this description. The direct route is pretty much what you might guess: steep, rocky, and unforgiving. The grade starts out moderate, if not difficult, but it's compounded by the sheer wall that looms before you as you move higher up. The last 100 meters are easily higher that 20% incline and you are gasping for every breath of air your lungs can take.

To make things even harder, the heat and the humidity we've been having this summer get sucked up by the surrounding woods, making said breath of fresh air very difficult to come by. The air is hot, stagnant, and muggy and there is very little reprieve. But up is the only way to go and so getting to top as fast as possible is the only way to get past this obstacle.

I made it up the hill in about 3:03, which is not too bad. I did start walking at the very top and seemed to keep pace with someone who seemed to be jogging in place. Once at the top, another mile or so of trails winds you back and forth and finally out of the woods and then down an equally long road descent. I went bombing down this road, really trying to ignore any sort of preconceived notions about speed and soon I was alone at the bottom of the hill. Finally gravity benefits me. Suffice it to say that I paid for this descent later on with very sore quads.

No idea how long we actually ran. I'm guessing 5.5 miles in 48:19.

Cleans, Muscle-Up Practice, Short Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength

Power Cleans 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

117, 137, 157, 167, 177*
*Failed 3rd rep

Bar Muscle Up Practice

5, 10, 10
Load: 215

2 X 10 Pistols

Metcon

50 Double Unders
25 Wall Balls 20#

5:40

Workout comments: Will showed me an interesting way of practicing bar muscle-up progressions. Using the Nautilus freedom training machine, you can hook up a bar, load up some weight, and you have yourself a great way of practicing muscle ups. The only down side is the the bar is very thin, which I think makes the muscle-ups incredible easier. I haven't seen a bar at any park or gym which is this thin.

I was disappointed with the power cleans, until I realized that one of my previous PRs several months ago was in the 180# range. Not too bad.

Squat, Incline Dumbbell Bench, Neutral Grip Strict Pullups, Metcon

Early Afternoon

Strength

On the minute for 10 minutes:

2 Squats (175#-60% 1RM)
5 Incline Dumbbell asdfasdfBench Press (55# DBs)
4 Strict Neutral Grip Pullups

Metcon

3 Rounds for Time:

10 OH Squats (77#)
20 DUs
5 HSPUs
10 Burpees
10 SDHPs

12:25

Workout comments: Need to work more on HSPUs. I would say I lost about 3 minutes of time doing these, probably more. OH Squats felt good without any pain in either shoulder.

Deadlift, Pushups, Moderate Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength

Deadlift 5 X 5
Load: 280 (80% of 1RM)

Diamond Pushups 5 X 10
Performed as supersets along with DL

*Diamond pushups are pushups done with hands close together, forefingers and thumbs touching, essentially forming a diamond. They work your triceps mainly, which is a limiting factor in the progress of many people's bench press, according to Lou Simmons. I'll try this a few times a week and see if I see any improvement.

Metcon

3 Rounds for time:

5 Squat Cleans (135#)
10 Pullups
30 Incline Situps

9:07

Workout comments: I'm going to start throwing pullups into every metcon I can, provided there is a pullup bar around, in addition to working strict or weighted pullups each week. No sorenes yesterday morning, which is a good sign. Nothing significant about my ankle, especially with the run yesterday.

Chris R. mentioned yesterday that a friend of his was all set for surgery due to a calf problem he developed after running regularly. Doctors could not find the problem and were (eager) to operate. This guy tried new shoes on a whim and found himself cured and running >20 miles per week less than 2 weeks later. I guess it's worth a shot, since I haven't replaced my running shoes in a while. I was on the kick of letting the soles wear down as much as possible to help my foot strike, but I guess injury trumps that.

Anything is worth a shot at this point.

Strength, Running

Early afternoon

Bench Press 3 X 5
Load: 215


Pullups 3 X 10
* Performed as supersets


1 mile uphill walking 15% grade
17:45


Evening


5 miles around Chestnut Hill in about 46 minutes


Workout comments: Totally abandoned the bench press and pullups today. Just was not feeling any strength at all. Bench pressing continues to be a plateau that won't change, along with pullups.


Went running today with John W. for the last time at least for a while. He is moving out to Seattle in a few days and most of his move is already underway. It was a good 5 mile loop around Chestnut Hill, lots of humidity to combat the great views of houses and golf courses. Over the past few years we have run together a bunch of times, and raced against each other at various Centocor sponsored races. I don't think I've ever beaten him at Broad Street, Philly Distance, or the other 5Ks we've attempted. At least I'll have something shoot for in the next few years.

Metcon

Late afternoon

10 rounds for time:

10 Burpees
15 Situps
20 Double Unders

19:47

Workout comments: Excellent weekend down in the Outer Banks, NC. Weather was a bit hot during this workout, hovering around the mid 90s. Nice dip in the pool after this one.

Squats, Long Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength
Squats 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

Loads: 155, 195, 215, 235, 255, 275*, 285*
* Both PRs.

Metcon

Row 800m
50 Box Jumps (18in)
50 Pullups
50 KB swings (35#)
50 Walking Lunges
50 Planks Holds with Knee to Elbow (50 per leg)
50 Push Press (35# DBs)
50 Supermans
50 Burpees
Row 800m

Volleyball

About 2.5 hours of volleyball today on sand court. Much more draining than I originally expected. I could get used to this sport. Apparently there is a league that runs during the summer at work. It's already started this year, but maybe next year I can get on a team.

Metcon

Late Afternoon

3 Rounds (1 minute on, 30 seconds off)

Jumping Lunges 52, 50, 52
KB Swings (50#) 28, 27, 25
Pushups (Hands off the floor at the bottom) 27, 26, 30


AMRAP in 12 minutes

15 V-ups
5 Man-Makers (30# DBs)
* A Man-Maker is a modified Thruster/Clean/Squat Thrust/Renegade Row. Start with Dumbbells at your sides. Drop down into a squat thrust and perform 1 Renegade Row per arm. Bring feet towards chest and accelerate upwards, shrugging the weights up and catching in clean position. Straighten up while pressing weights overhead. 1 rep.

6 Rounds + 2 Reps

Bench Press, Pullups, Long Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength
Bench Press 5 X 3
Load: 215

Pullups 5 X 10
*Bench Press and Pullups were done as a superset, with three minutes rest taken at the end of the pullups for each round.

Metcon

5 Rounds for Time:
15 Thrusters (95#)
500m Row

~20:20 (Approx breakdown of rowing splits: 1:45, 1:44, 1:46, 1:48, 1:51)

Workout comments: I felt pretty good during the bench press sets and the first 3 or 4 sets of the pullups. Felt like I could do a few more sets. The metcon really gassed me out. First two rounds were done with pacing in mind, but the thrusters eventually caught up to me, and I could not hold pace for the final 2 rounds. It was a good workout. There was approximately 15 seconds of rest taken to walk from the erg to the barbell station each time, but who's to say I wouldn't have rested that time anyway. I forgot to check my watch at the end of the workout, but this is a pretty accurate time.

Endurance WOD

Mid Afternoon

10 Rounds for Time:

100 Jump Rope
10 Burpees
10 Situps
10 Pushups
10 Squats
10 Pullups

1500 reps total: 37:04

Workout comments: I did this WOD in the mid day sun, with the heat index pushing 95-100. I was able to get most of it done in the shade, but it was still pretty toasty. Mental fortitude was what it took to get through the middle part of this workout. Rounds 5-8 were definitely mind-numbing. Needless to say I was spent at the end of this workout.

Bench Press, Cleans, "Joshie"

Early afternoon

Strength
Bench Press 4 X 5
*failed 5th rep on the third set. Defintely talked myself out of that today.


Clean (Power clean with a front squat) 4 X 5
Load: 155#


Metcon
"Joshie"
3 Rounds for Time:

40 pound dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, right arm (Dumbbell Power Clean and Press)
21 L-Pull-ups (Kipping Pullups)
40 pound dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, left arm
21 L-Pull-ups


23:20

Round 1: 6:24
Round 2: 7:48
Round 3: 8:58


Workout comments: Still struggling with the cleans. I can't really seem to get under the bar, mostly because of fear and dropping the weight. I'll have to start practicing with lighter weight in the future. I performed the bench presses with a closer grip to try and build my triceps up more, which I think is the limiting factor in my bench presses. Close grip pushups are on the menu for the next few weeks.

Joshie is probably one of the toughest workouts out there. I had to scale both the movements or I would have been there for over an hour. I was feeling kinda off for the next few hours afterwards, too. Something wrong with my digestion or what. I ended up talking to John W. a few hours later and he confirmed what I have been thinking for a while. Soreness...all the time. In the morning when I wake up, immediately following a workout, the several hours following a workout, and still before bed. The only advice I have received on the subject is to dial in my nutrition, gradually cutting out all impurities: essentially following a Paleo diet. At this point in my life, it's just not feasable to do so, but I can work as hard as I can to make it as relatively clean as possible. We'll see how that goes.

"300" workout

Late afternoon

Metcon
100 Double Unders for Time
1:12

"300" Workout (from Men's Health)

25 Pullups
50 Deadlifts (135#)
50 Pushups
50 Box Jumps (24in box)
50 Floor Wipers (135#)
50 Dumbbell Clean and Presses (35#)
25 Pullups

19:56

Workout comments: Double unders were done without shoes and were much easier to control. First 50 were done within 35 seconds until fault. Next 50 followed suit. Defintely lose some power with the cushioning of traditional running shoes.

I've done this "300" workout several times in the past. After watching the demonstration video again recently, I realized I was only doing half the recommended floor wipers, and was actually performing a dumbbell snatch, which I think is much easier. 6-8 months ago, when I was routinely doing this workout, I was averaging 22-25 minutes. I'm not exactly sure where I gained the most ground. Probably a combination of the pullups and box jumps. These were defintely the most consistent of everything.

Easy 15 minutes cycling to cool down and clear some waste from my very sore legs.

Supplemental work: about 30 minutes of foam roller work at night.

Squats, Bench Press, Annie

Late afternoon

Strength

Squats
1, 10, 1, 20, 1, 30
Loads: 265, 205, 265, 185, 265, 135

Bench Press 4 X 3
Load: 215

Total weight moved: 13,175 lbs

Metcon
"Annie"
50, 40, 30, 20, 10
Double Unders, Situps

7:32

Workout comments: The sets of 20 and 30 squats had to be broken up. On the positive side, after a light warmup, going right after my PR on the squat seemed relatively easy. I'll have to try a new 1RM in the near future. Bench Press also felt relatively good. Both lifts took a total of 40 minutes with only ~3 minutes of rest in between each set.

Moving right into "Annie", the first round of double unders went pretty well. Only had to stop twice. Similarly, the first round of situps was pretty good too. This is definitely the weak link in this workout, however.