Post-game thoughts

So after Murph I celebrated by going over to Famous Dave's and the first non-strict zone meal in 15 days. Came back home pleasantly stuffed and a little tired, so I decided to take a nap. I fell asleep at 2:30.

I woke up at 10:30.

Looks like I was pretty worn out. Not too surprised, since I responded to my first Fran by sleeping for 15 hours. Guess I won't have to worry about recovery.

Murph

This workout was a favorite of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy:

For time:

1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Today was an interesting day, I thought the Sunday class starts at 9:30, so I showed up late. I walked in, and everyone was already working out. ...I really wanted to do this workout, so I looked at the gym clock (9:38) and started my mile run. Done with that, I just kind of snuck in and started the gym part. The new grip helped out with the pull-ups, I really like the new kip my pull-up sensai Danny is teaching me. It's more fun than work, but it takes a lot of ab strength. It was a little strange being the last one, I mean I closed the crossfit gym. Lt. Col. Dan and others were spraying the gym down, and I'm doing pull-ups and pushups. I finished it all with the gym clock reading 10:46, so I did it in 68 min. This was a lot easier than I thought it would be, although the chins at the end were really rough, had to bang them out 2-3 at a time.

You can see my attempt at the new kip near the end of the video found here.

Pre-game thoughts

I know what today's workout is, and I'm intimidated. Frankly, at first I could say I was scared. But I'm starting to see these workouts not as challenges to beat me down, but opportunities to see how in shape I really am. For me, the toughest part about crossfit is the mental part, and the more positive I approach these WOD's the better I will do.

A Blatant Crossfit Endorsement

I've read a couple of random crossfit blogs, and I've seen two variations on the theme about commitment to crossfit:

The first variation are reports of progression in strength, endurance, and speed as a result of sticking to crossfit and seeing it through.

The other variation comprises of those who dabble in crossfit, in whatever manner and for whatever reason.

I think initial full commitment to a system is a much better approach, and this applies to more than just working out. There are many reasons why jumping in head first will yield better results then gradually dabbing your toe in the pool.

Reason #1: You're probably hesitant about crossfit because you're scared. If you're only half-heartedly trying because crossfit is new and scary, you give yourself more chances to back out, never really experiencing crossfit and seeing if it works. If you go full-force and give it your all, then you will no longer be afraid. To keep with the controlling metaphor, if everyone else is in the pool and telling you the water's fine, why not just jump in?

Reason #2: Only by fully commiting to crossfit will you be able to properly compare results, much like how one should exercise with full range of motion. If you never really try crossfit, then how will you be able to say it works or doesn't work? How would you be able to say swimming doesn't make you stronger if you only got your legs wet? It is true you might need to tweak crossfit so as to better fit your needs, but only after completely emerging yourself into crossfit can you fully understand how it works, and then fine tune your crossfit workout.

Reason #3: The focus brought on while crossfitting will make exercising easier. Constantly worrying that the crossfit workout you're currently performing will hurt your strength/flexibility/whatever will prevent you frim really pushing yourself, the hallmark of Crossfit.

Reason #4: On that note, I am reminded of advice my father gave me when I first attempted studying with the TV on. "If you study study. If you watch tv, watch tv. But if you do both you'll water down both." Don't try to modify crossfit workouts (other than scaling, which is understandable) thinking it will help you improve some aspect of your physical game without having a thourough understanding of how Crossfit exercises work.

Reason #5: You might think you understand crossfit after one or two weeks, but you have no idea. Crossfit is based on complicated principals and understanding of the human body. This will become more appearent the more you do it, trust me on this, because I know nothing and I'm just now figuring this out.

Reason #6: You're still intimidated by crossfit. Look, it can be done by anyone, here's proof:
An eighty-year old deadlifting 35lbs. If your grandmother can do you, you can do it.













Here's Kyle Maynard attending his Level I cert seminar. ...The dude doesn't even have complete appendages and he's an active crossfitter who hopes to own his own gym someday. All your excuses just got up, opened the door, and quietly left in shame.
















I'm not saying exclusively do Crossfit, I'm saying you should whole-heartedly crossfit, at least for a while.

TGIF and a new grip for pull-ups

Today was fun, I felt like I did a really, really good job of pushing myself.

Today's WOD:
5 rounds for time
400 M run
15 KB swings (52lbs)
30 Squats

I nerfed the workout a little by using 45lb kb, my shoulder wasn't feeling quite right earlier in the day and I didn't want to push it. My kb swings aren't perfect yet, I'm having issues with moving my hips back. I don't move them back far enough, so I can't generate max power. I think of it like my body is like a rubber band. The more the band streches, the more potential energy is availible to be converted into kinetic energy. Same could be said about a pull up kip, the father back and up you move your legs the more power will be generated during the forward motion.

Also worked on my pull-up form with Danny. Appearently I've been using a difficult grip.

This is how I've been gripping the bar:











This, appearently, how I should grip the bar:

Pardon the use of props, but an unopened bottle of wine was the only cylindrical thing I could find. But by placing the thumb above the bar, I can rest my palms on top of the bar and use more of my forearm muscles, rather than my finger muscles. This also may explain why my pull-ups suck near the end, even though I feel like my lats are strong enough to carry me through. This might make things like Badger a little easier. ...I have a strange feeling I will get to test out this new grip soon....

Ska band concert and our neighbors at Crossfit Alexandria

So last night I went to the rock and roll hotel last night to see my friend Phil's ska band Free Lobster Buffet. They did a great show, including a cover of Reel Big Fish's Beer. Coincidentally, he plays trombone in the Marine Band so a few CFOT people saw him play the other Thursday. When you have a band with at least three Marines, you're guarenteed to have a whole bunch of other Marines show up to see them play. I met one of the Marine's girlfriends, and it turns out she's an assistant coach at our neighbor/faux-arch-nemesis/friend Crossfit Alexandria. We talked about our Fran times. Although I thought her time was very respectable (something like 8:03), she was a little defensive about it, blaming her "long femurs" for taking so much time.

We both recognized that CFOT and CFA seem pretty different in attitude. She commented that the CFA commoderie is based on more friendly ball-busting than here at CFOT. It's interesting to see how different gym's have a differnt feel, but we're all crossfitters, and it's no more appearent when you start talking to a person who was a complete stranger five minutes ago about Fran times.

Day of rest

Deciding to follow Doc's orders and not attend today's class. ...I'll try to make one of tomorrow morning's classes, but I don't know if I'll be up for it (kind of a late night person).

First appointement with the DO

Met with Dr. Craddock today, and I'm so happy I did this. He explained to me that my pelvis is tilted forward and down, like I'm slouching forward and using my right arm to reach for my left shoe. He also said that I can continue to do Crossfit, although he prefer I not go the day after he works on me. He also said Crossfit's emphasis on core muscles will be very beneficial, so glad to see yet another reason to do crossfit.

The experience was a little strange, he would place me in some strange positions, press on a point on my back or hip, and ask me to resist certain movements. He also applied gentle pressure to my back and neck. DO's manipulate the connective tissue, and instill balance to the muscles that twist my pelvis. Although at the time it didn't feel like he did anything, having now left the office I feel really... different. I feel like a lot has been done to my body, but I can't put my finger on it.

I am extremely glad I did this, the doc explained that DO's provide the only type of treatment for this ailment, and given that I've seen physical therapists, chiropractors, and orthopedist with no relief, I believe him.

Second date with Fran

Well, today I did Fran for the second time. I was still sore from Friday, and just felt like I had no energy. The memory of my last Fran was fresh in my mind, so was a little intimidated. I was also concerned that this could aggravate my hip, but since I see the osteopath tomorrow this might be my last chance to do squats for a while (I have a feeling he'll tell me not to do them).

My strategy for the first round was to bang out the thrusters 10-11, but at rep 15 I really struggled. Jerry, being the awesome coach that he is, asked if my shoulder was ok. It was everything but the shoulder that was bothering me, and for some reason that fired me up to finish the last 6 quickly. For the pull-ups I made sure to tape up my hands, so no disaster there. I think I need to make my kip smaller, because I use a big swing that eats up time. However, I wasn't going to change now; my lats are still spasming from Badger on Friday and they could use all the help they could get.

I hit the wall on the second round of thrusters, felt real light-headed and simply had no energy, but I aimed for 5-5-5 (think it ended up something like 3-2-3-2-4-1). The pull ups were hard, but nothing too bad. The last set was pretty good, the only thing I'm unhappy about is on the eighth pull up I stopped and had to reset for the last rep, which took up some time.

I did it this time in 15:33, so in five weeks with a two week vacay I cut my Fran time by 4:10. This is a great improvement, and I just can't wait to reach that sub-ten Fran time. I think the next time I see Fran as the WOD, I'll approach it as a way to demonstrate the progress I've made, not as an unpleasant experience.

Top 5 most painful things to do with ripped calluses

#5: A firm handshake.
#4: Rolling up a ball of foil.
#3: Washing your hands.
#2: Gripping a hot steering wheel.
#1: Reaching into a can of lightly salted cashews, (won't make that mistake again).

Badger 1.5

After out for six weeks with the rotator cuff injury, the first exercise I did was Badger. Well, I don't know if I can actually say I did Badger back then. Back then it was for 2 rounds, 20 chins, and 45 lb squat cleans in 32 min. Now it's the first week of coming back from a two week vacay, and it's Badger again.

Badger as perscribed:
3 rounds
800 m run
30 squat cleans (Men 90 lbs, Women 65 lbs)
30 pull ups


Today I still didn't do it Rx'd because I was afraid the 90lbs would give me trouble with my hip. I found that if I do absolutely perfect form with squat cleans and really focus on using my abs, my hip wasn't bothered. I figured it would be easier to do it perfectly if I use a lighter weight, so I did Badger with 75 lbs. Also, I didn't "run" the 800 meters, I forced myself to only jog while really focusing on keeping my abs tight.

Jogging wasn't difficult, and my squat clean form was a lot better, thanks to the progressions Jerry had us do before the WOD. I can't imagine anyone starting out crossfit on their own. I really feel like I'm dialing in on technique, and once my technique tree is big and strong I can improve everything else.






All in all I did it in 61:23. Definitely not the fastest of times, mostly because the last round of pullups was brutal, not becuase of fatigue, not because of endurance, but because four calluses on my hand ripped. I taped up, but every time I grabbed the chin up bar this shock of pain shot through my hand, and I could only bang them out 1-2 at a time. I think I single-handedly inspired Jerry to comment that he'll send out a message about hand maintenence this week.

One of the various problems that happen when I come back from a break of crossfit: ripped calluses.

Hanging my head with Pride

Well, today was definitely an eye opener.

Two weeks away from crossfit and you lose all your endurance. I worked out on Sun and Mon, and I'm a little sore. Ok, I'm really sore. But nothing was going to stop me from working out for the epic battle of the sexes. Here's how the teams score points:

3 pts
400m Farmer's walk
1 pt
500m row
35 ab-mat situps
10 burpees
400m run



I decided to start out on my forte the row machine, then switch over to the point generator that is the farmer's walk. So I get on the row machine, get everything ready, and Jerry yells "go!"

Then I pull out that first stroke, and I already feel tired.

I felt like I had nothing in the tank from the first second. Guess my body got used to relaxation a little too easily. I was still determined to put up a good time for the 2k meter record. Even with a two week break and really not feeling it, I set my PR with 7:40, which is the third fasted time in the class.

So after the row, I took a break with the ab-mat situps. Then the farmer's walk. Last time I did this, I did like 3 carrying 65 lb kettlebells with no problem. After 100m, I had to put down the 35 lb dumbells because my forearms were so fried. Moreover, I was just amazed at how much harder everything was than the last time I did this. It makes me never want to miss a xfit workout again.

So after the 400 farmer's walk with four breaks, I jogged another 400 m. I figured the jogging wouldn't irritate the hip, as opposed to running. Then I went back inside, think I did another set of situps and then another 4k, this time in like 8:30. I remeber reading that rowing helps the hip, and I'd believe it because I can really feel the misalignment when I sit on those row seats.

After that it was burpee time, and I shared some with some other guys. All in all I think I got a measly 17 points, but I really feel like I gave it all that I had. A big shout out to Chriss for scoring 41 points, simply unbelievable.

So the men lost, and I definitely hurt the team. But I gave it my best effort, and I also set a new PR that's the third fastest in the class and for that I am proud. Can't wait to win the tie breaker in this series.

Spreading the Crossfit love

Today I convinced one of my roommates to come and try out a crossfit class with the 16 days for 16 dollars offer. I also got a commitment from one of my co-workers to try it out this Wednesday. After her visit and seeing my zone meals, my girlfriend Kristin is now going to try the zone diet (there aren't any crossfit gyms in Bloomington, IN) It always feels great to see others share the same experiences and enjoy them as well.

Today's workout was shoulder heavy, which was welcomed with my hip and the leg workout yesterday.

5 rounds:
max reps of strict press
max reps of chin-ups

My total was 48 reps with 75 lbs and 54 chins.

It felt good to push the shoulder and find that it's responding nicely. I imagine it will take a while for me to trust it, but that'll come with time. Speaking of stuff that takes time, I now have an appointment with a DO next week. I'm really excited about this, since all of my research points to this being the best method to treat hip tendonitis.

First post vacay workout

This was my first Sunday workout. I just couldn't wait for Monday to come around, and it was great to meet the non 5pm class crossfitters. I got to meet fellow blogger Adrienne in person for the first time. Katie, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to come over and say hi, I have to admit I'm a little shy/intimidated when I'm the new one in such a close-knit group. Met Stuart, we talked about our shoulder injuries, sounded like he might have torn his rotator cuff like I did in May. I hope I was able to impart some exercises/advice for him. Fyi, I haven't felt pain in my shoulder for about three weeks now, and last week I did my therapy exercises without a problem.

Now for the WOD, "the hinterlands"
3 rounds
800m run
50 squats
50 ab mat situps




I was very pleased with my performance, mostly because I was smart and changed the workout so as to not aggravate my hip. I subbed out the run with 50 kettlebell swings and when performing the squats I tried not to lower my body to the point where I pinch the tendon, although looking at this picture makes me think I might have gone lower than I should have. There were some other changes made given the fact that this was my first time back in two weeks.
So here is what I did:

in 28:23
50 kb swings
50 squats
50 situps
50 kb swings
50 squats
50 situps
50 kb swings
20 lunges (hip started to act up a little)
50 situps

I really tried to focus on my abs more and less on my hips for core strength, and I think I was successful at first, but near the end as fatigue set in I think I started to rely more on my hips than I should. This is something I really need to work on, but I now that I'm aware of it I can't wait to make progress in this area.

As I write this, my hip flexor feels like it's been used. Not necisarily pain, but I don't think it's a sensation I should be feeling. I'm concerned that I might have aggrevated it. I really don't care if I have to stop doing squats or something like that. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to fix this condition, because this hip pain needs to stop. I just need to figure out what works and what doesn't. I don't know if there's a sub for squats since it is so integral to crossfit exercises, but even if I can't do any lower body exercises I will still come to crossfit. This could actually be a blessing, because my upper body/abs has always been significantly weaker than my legs.

Finally, pics from Spain

Since this is a crossfit blog, and not a travel blog, I'll keep this (somewhat) brief.




Here we are on top of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. It's still under construction, but it is gianormous. The building is unlike I have ever seen before, and driving up to it was an experience I won't likely forget. If you are ever in Barcelona, check it out.












At an old fort overlooking the port of Barcelona. The panaramic view is best viewed when you ride the funicular, you can get to the funicular through the tour buses.

















Ah European fashion...
Tried on this shirt from Custo Barcelona. this shirt was it way too small... perfect by european standards. In addition, it was on sale for only 179 euros (~$263)!! Definitely a shirt worthy of the Blue Steel.












The thing to do when in Madrid is to go from bar to bar, getting one or two drinks and enjoy the Tapas that come with them. For example, this fancy volcano drink that we got (which gets my stamp of approval) came with a plate of olives, Iberian ham (it's like prosciutto, Spaniards live on it), chocolate, and corn nuts. I would like to state for the record that I ate the olives and ham to balance out the carbs of the drink, making it zone friendly :)






Here we are living it up at the penthouse, rated as the second best rooftop bar in the world. You need to definitley pre-game before coming here with it's 10 euro drinks. Madrid parties more than London or Paris, but in August eveyone is on vacation, so the bars close early. My suggestion is to get here in like May or June, when it isn't too hot and you can party until 8am instead of 3am.








Here's a pic of a Flamenco dance at the Corral de la Moreria in Madrid, which I highly reccomend. The dances represent stories, so understanding Spainish will greatly enhance the experience, but I didn't understand a single word and still enjoyed it. Getting there early helps, because there are pillars in the room, which can obstruct one's view.










And here we are in Toledo. It has lots of culture and is very romantic with it's narrow streets and sense of history. This is also the place to go if you want to buy a knife or a sword, as all the tourist shops feature them in the windows.











Plaza de Espana in Seville. Seville is another romantic place, but not as big as Barcelona (my favorite city). It is also extremely hot in August, getting up to about 40 degrees Celsius.













Breakfast at the Best Western Subur Maritim in Sitges. Sitges is awesome, it has the best beaches and the best crowd, if you don't mind a large gay population. There might have been more gay people than usual, because we showed up just in time for Mr. Gay Sitges 2008.






I've got another 200 pictures, but these are a few of the highlights of the trip. Let me know if y'all are interested in seeing more.

Crossfit is a tough itch not to scratch.

Coming back from a long trip involves a lot more than I had expected. So I don't use up all of my annual leave, I have to put in 10 hours today and Saturday. Because I had therapy today, attending crossfit would require me to not get back home until 11:00, which I simply can't do (especially with the jetlag).

I feel really guilty, like I'm a quitter by not going. I'm also experiencing the "crossfit itch". I imagine this feels similar to withdrawal: physically, my body feels restless, wanting to exert itself, psychologically, my mind wants to experience that peace that occurs when I push myself so hard nothing else matters. However, if I get fired for not putting in the hours I need to I'd have no way to afford my crossfit membership, so I will just have to endure until Sunday at 9:00.

Having said that, I'll now focus on the positive: I'm learning more and more about what is going on with my hip, how iliopsoas tendonitis works. After talking to the therapist, this is what I've learned:

1. My right hip tilts forward (stretching the tendon) because there is an imbalance in strength and flexibility in my muscles. One possible reason is my core strength is heavily dependent upon my hip flexors alone, not my abs and my hip flexors. My dependency upon my hip flexor strength may be why my pelvis tilts forward: the counteracting muscle is too weak to keep the pelvis in place. This dependence on hip flexors also explains why some ab exercises have always been really, really tough for me. Cheryl, if you're reading this, this ab-weakness of mine is why I can only do 50 ab mat sit-ups in the time you can do 100 ab mat sit-ups with a medicine ball.

2. After the two week vacay, my hip flexor is not as tight, so the condition is improving. According to the therapist, it used to be "as tight as a piano wire" and the muscle used to spasm to the touch. Neither seems to be the case right now. Also, my hip flexibility has also increased, in stretching my abductors I’ve gone from 90 degrees to 110 degrees (only 70 degrees more until I can do the splits).

3. Unlike I originally thought, I will be able to do squats, I just can’t go as deep as I’ve been going. (it’s only the last 1” or so that pinches the tendon and causes me pain).

4. Ab-mat sit-ups maybe the best thing ever for iliopsoas tendonitis. The butterfly position of the feet disengages the hip flexors, causing the person to solely use their ab muscles. Moreover, the butterfly also stretches the iliopsoas while using core muscles. So Cheryl, I look forward to the next time you get on my case for not doing them quickly enough.

5. Now that I'm starting to understand the underlying causes of this condition, I think I will be able to get better. I now plan on really focusing on my core strength when working out. I know we need to always focus on our core while doing crossfit exercises, but now I need to focus on involving my abs more than my hips. This might work, I sure hope so.

6. I now have even more motivation to find a DO who practices manipulation. It really does seem like a DO's expertise is a perfect match for my condition. My goal is to have an appointment with one by the end of next week.

So all in all, although I feel bad about not already getting back into crossfit, I will be back in like two days and back on track to recovery and fitness.

Back in the States

So I got back into the USA yesterday, and I didn't attend crossfit because I was swamped with work and all that entails with coming back from a long trip (groceries, laundry, etc). In addition to all of that, my hip still hurts. So I decided to go to the PTO gym and work on my physical therapy exercises. I worked on my rotator cuff some, and although it felt a little weak it didn't feel injured. I'll have a better idea with how I feel tomorrow, but I think the two weeks off what what I needed to fully recover from the injury.

I can't wait until Friday when I get back into the blue room. However, I will first talk to my physical therapist about what I can and can not do with my hip. I've realized recovering from this is simple: don't do exercises that aggravate the injury, and continue therapy. After going through the crossfit message board, I found out that who I need to see is an osteopath that does ART. Right now my insurance doesn't cover that, but I'm going to look if I can change insurance companies tomorrow.

I really feel like I can finally live without pain, and not only that, I will still be able to work out because crossfit is scalable. It's so good to be back.

PS don't worry, tomorrow I will post pictures and blog about the Spain trip.

The girlfriend came to crossfit

I should have written about this on the 28th. I apologize for not writing about it earlier, but I was a little busy. On the 28th, my girlfriend, Kristin, came into town from Chicago in preparation for the Spain trip. I convinced her to come attend a crossfit session so that she would have a better understanding of what I keep raving about. She agreed, but planned on attending only to observe and then working out at the PTO gym while I finished up some things at work.

So she's in her workout clothes and is sitting there watching us work on strength for Fran (Heavy squat thrusters, pull-ups with weight vests). There was another Crossfit newcomer that evening, so Jerry came up with a body weight workout for her to try out (I think it was like 12 sets of 6 pushups, 10 air squats, and 9 situps). Since Jerry was setting up a separate program any way, Kristin asked to try it out as well.

Seeing my girlfriend try out crossfit was awesome. Like most crossfitters, I believe everyone should do it and seeing her try it out made me very excited for her. Perhaps she'll find it to be such a wonderful experience that she would find a crossfit gym or start adding crossfit elements to her workout. It was also very strange to workout knowing she could be watching me, and I think that added a little bit of pressure, and I mean that in a good way.

Kristin did find it to be an intense workout. Also, she learned how to properly perform squats. (As she told me, "girls are taught to keep their knees together.") She did the workout without any problems, and when we were all done she seemed to be handling the recovery nicely.

Then we were ready to leave and she took a step down the stairs. She winced a little and said something like, "Wow, I guess I really did work out my legs." Unfortunately, I forgot about how sore you are for the week following your first day of crossfit, and her legs were not used to doing 120 squats in under 15 min. When I asked her about her experience, she commented on how Jerry made her feel very welcome and that she was impressed by how supportive everyone was of each other. She was glad she had finally tried crossfit, having heard so much about it over the last few months but was a little intimidated by watching us squat thrust such heavy weights. She didn't realize how intensely she had worked out at the time and this made it easy to push herself through the workout. She also added that it seemed to be a great workout not only for people who were short on time because of demanding jobs, but also those with small children that only have a few moments a week to themselves.

Madrid: Day 7

Hey everyone, I actually have un momento to access the internet, so I just wanted to say that Spain is awesome, I´ve taken a lot of pictures, and although I haven´t been able to exercise except for a couple of pushups, all I´ve been doing is walk up and down hills all day long. Alright, time for me to go back to being social. Adios!!