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.

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

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.

Strength, Rowing, Crossfit Inspire Metcon

Early afternoon


Workout:
4 X max strict weighted pullups (25#)

8, 8, 5, 5


Back Squats 4 X 5
Load: (210#)


Rowing: 30 minute steady state
2:02:3 split; 7358m


Late afternoon


Crossfit Inspire
Workout


Med Ball Cleans (20#), DUs, Push Press (#75)
25-15-5
5-15-25
25-15-5

23:36

Workout comments: I guess I'll make it a habit of working back squats and pullups right before a rowing workout. The rowing was just steady state, but I could defintely feel the squats and pullups about half way through. It's amazing how comfortable I feel after only a few sessions on the erg. I can almost hear the coaches yelling at me to keep my shoulders relaxed and accerlate through the drive. It took four years to pick up these skills and only 4 sessions to get back into the routine of incorporating them. I guess there is much to be said for the power of repetition. I've heard and read many times that it takes 10,000 reps of doing something in order to make it a habit. I guess after that it stays ingrained in your brain until you do it differently another 10,000 times.

The afternoon workout was another group workout at Crossfit Inspire. I wasn't sure what "dubs" were, but I quickly learned they were double unders and felt much better about the workout, especially since they had a huge stock of speed ropes. These are infintely better to swing around then the traditional jump ropes I have been using. The med ball cleans were the limiting factor in this workout, surprisingly, because they essentially require two squats during the movement. I wasn't getting any criticism for locking the push press up overhead, but was hearing some for not locking out my hips during the cleans. I'll take it. I should have glanced up at the leaderboard before the workout, and I would have realized that the best time of the day was close to 19:00. It was tough to gauge where everyone else was in the workout, because there were so many different cycles and sets, so I just went off myself. I was pretty pumped when I finished to find out that I had recorded the third best time of the day.

This is pretty much it for the week trial at Crossfit Inspire. Ultimately, I would love to workout there, but I'm just not sure I can afford it. With the new house and potentially a new car soon, I'm going to need to save up every penny to waste down in Avalon. Maybe I could write a letter to the mayor urging him to lessen the cost of a beer from $5.50. It really takes a toll on your wallet.

Partner WOD

Late afternoon
WU: Dynamic warmup-squats, stretches, shuffling, PVC shoulder flexibility

Workout: Crossfit Inspire WOD

Partner WOD
1000m Run (250m per)
100 KB Swings (53#)
100 Meter Wall Ball Shuffle Pass (20#)
100 Partner Med Ball Situps (20#)
100 Partner Med Ball Cleans (20#)
1000m Row (250m per)

One partner rests while the other partner works.

18:29

Workout comments: I decided I would give the crossfit affiliate thing a try. There are several options I have to choose from, and all seem to have pros and cons. Platoon Crossfit is near my house in Conshohocken, but they don't seem to have too much information on their website. I should defintely look into them more, but it seems like you have to provide them with too much personal information in order to get anything out of them. Crossfit KOP seemed like my best bet, it's close to home, roughly on my way to work in Malvern, and seems like they are very competivie in the Crossfit Games, which could speak well for the sort of clientel they attract. Their membership fee is pretty steap though, the most expensive of all the groups in area. Crossfit Inspire is closest in proximity to work, which means I could go for a morning workout, afternoon workout, and maybe slip away for a lunch workout here and there. The owner seemed very nice on the phone and mentioned they have a one week trial period, which definitely hooked me in. I decided to try them out first.

The WOD was pretty simple, as outlined above. I was partnered with a guy named Rob who seemed pretty even with my in terms of fitness, at least at face value. After the warmup and the introductions, we got started and right away I could feel it was going to be tougher than I expected. We broke most of the movements into sets of 10, not too difficult until you realize that you are only getting 15-30 seconds of rest. We seemed like we were working hard and flying, but there was another team that just kept edging us out on every station. Somehow we started together during the med ball cleans, and they managed to beat us by 40. A little suspect, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. They actually only finished 100 meters ahead of us, and I was hauling ass trying to catch them. It just wasn't in the cards.

I hate partner workouts, but I think this workout was actually pretty decent. I was working pretty hard and my partner was emptying the tank as well. The owner (I think his name was Matt or Darin) was really nice, and offered me some good motiviation during the workout. The group itself was made up of a very diverse mix of ages and genders, from high school athletes to 40+ parents. I was looking for something a bit more condense, but in the end I was surprised by how close the competition was. First workout: 6 out of 10.

Pullups, Deadlift, Rowing

Early afternoon

Strength:

4 X 10 Strict Pullups
2:00 rest

Deadlift 3, 5, 5, 5
275, 275, 275, 275

Crossfit Endurance
25 minute row (Cover as much distance as possible)

6162m (2:01.7)

Workout comments: I had to cut the first set of deadlifts short because the barbell was literally cutting into my hands. I don't how this bar could possibly be any more coarse, but it made my hands look like grated cheese. I had to wrap paper towels around it after the first set.

I know I was pretty much taxing my rowing muscles with the pullups and the deadlifts, but I was again disappointed by my post graduation rowing performance. I was steadily holding a 1:53-1:55 split, but had to stop periodically because the pain in my glutes was becoming unbearable. It was all I could do not to think about it. Of course, with no TV and no other distractions, it was only a matter of time before it caught up to me. I'd like to try and incorporate at least 2 rowing workouts per week, because they really seem to be a great overall fitness exercise.

I thought about what it was like to be a rower in college. Waking up every morning at 5:30, hopping in a van or your car and speeding down the empty streets to the river. It's usually freezing cold for 80% of the season, so you huddle together in the boat bay with sweatpants and hooded sweatshirts on, trying to hold on to as much warmth for as long as possible. Finally the coxswain gives the order to take the boat off the racks, shoulder it, and carry it down to the river like a drill sergeant ordering his platoon into formation before a march. After the boat touches the water, shoes come off, the oars get locked into their collars, and everyone climbs in carefully so as not to tip the boat over in the other direction. It's too early for anyone to make any wisecracks...yet. The call comes to shove off from the dock, and then it's drills and skills into the dark, silent morning. The sun won't be up for another 30 minutes or so, and for now it's just you, your oar, and your thoughts mixed in with the periodic commands of the coxswain. As the sun gets brighter, the intensity of the workout increases and you better hope your not doing 20 minute repeats. 20 minutes is about how long it takes to make it from the top of the river to the bottom, give or take, and these days are the toughest mentally. Of course there are always 2K repeats, but that's another monster entirely. Everyone is awake now, and the jokes start filtering in (if practice is going smoothly). The callouses on your hands have already hardened if its long enough into the wet season (when it's "warm" enough to practice on the water, which is pretty much anything above 25F). You pray that each time you near your boathouse, it will be time to get off the water and if you are lucky, you get to navigate home through rush hour traffic only to arrive 15 minutes late for class and smelling like the Schuylkill River. Your teacher is tired of the excuses and you're just tired in general, so you spend the remainder of class just trying to keep your eyes open, waiting until you can crawl back in bed and unsuccessfully shake off the freezing cold of the morning river. Then you get up and do it all over again. If you can derive pleasure out of this routine, you are part of the elite, albeit seemingly insane.