All you can eat Stec

Hitting new PR’s all the time.  Almost every day is a new PR.  Make sure to go to my website, eugenefitnesstraining.com and on the workout of the day it is a sort of journal of people me and people working out with me.

Over the past few weeks I’ve had very few days that weren’t PR days.

Still not down to 10% bodyfat, but thats not as important to me as performance.  Sure it would be really really nice to have an awesome 8 pack without that little bit of fat on my side back, but PR’s are what I want.

It seems like my diet is really dialed in to be seeing so much performance, but not getting the bodyfat lower.  Once I stop seeing gains I’ll have to adjust it some more.

So it’s been quite some time before I posted a blog.  I’ve got some HUGE improvements in my benchmark workouts, so I thought I would post whats going on:

Max pullups - 27 (up from 21)
Fight gone bad - 275 (up from 225)
Cindy - 18 rounds + 9 pushups (up from 17 rounds)
Linda aka 3 bars of death - 42:36 (first time doing it as Rx’d)
L sit hold - 60 seconds (up from 42 seconds)

Improved from:                          Improved to:

15 round cindy 11/12/07                17 round cindy 1/10/08

non-Rx’d Diane                          10:12 Diane 1/2/08

10 Ring Dips                                12 Ring Dips

0 Muscleups                                1 Muscleup 1/17/08

HUGE accomplishment today!  I got my FIRST MUSCLEUP!

One of my major goals for 2008 and I already hit it.  The past two weeks I’ve been going to gymnastics class, and today I pulled a coach aside and asked him to help me get a muscleup.  Sure enough, my grip wasn’t ‘false’ enough.  But it still was hella hard and I could only get one.  I tried many times after that and all I got was blisters on my wrists!

Monday:  Rest day

Tuesday:  Warmup as prescribed without pullups and 5 dips instead of 10 per set

070927      "Nicole"

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups
Post number of pull-ups completed for each round to comments.

Wednesday: Warmup as best as possible, cut out pullups and squats

070929      "Cindy"

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Thursday:   Warmup as best as possible (will be at hotel)

070926

Run 5 K

Friday:  Rest day

Saturday:  Warmup as prescribed

070930

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Sunday:  Warmup as prescribed without pullups

071001

Three rounds for time of:
35 Double-unders
95 pound Thrusters, 25 reps
15 Pull-ups

Monday:  Next WOD

Tuesday:  Rest day

*prescribed workout =

3 sets of
Samson Stretch
10-15 squats with overhead broomstick
10-15 situps
10-15 back extensions
10-15 dips
10-15 pullups

So I finished my first week of crossfit - I have to say, I absolutly love it.  It is exactly what I am going for.  I’m pretty stoaked and diving into it headfirst and soaking up as much knowledge as I can.  I’m trying to progressively move up intensity, but sometimes its hard because the motivation is there.

So before I was doing bodybuilding, and training for 5k’s and 10k’s.  I was so frustrated with the fact that the two were kind of counterproductive.  And on the other hand, I like my body to look better but more importantly, I wanted to be a machine in the gym.  After all the lifting weights that I’ve done in my life, all that it’s really helped me with is squatting a massive amount of weight in a weird way.  Whenever I get to the basketball court or do something else that doesn’t involve lifting or running in a straight line than I quickly get winded.  Crossfit seems to be something that can take me where I want to go in all around fitness, even though it is a unconventional method.

Even better — it involves timed challenges, which is why I love the 5ks!  You do these workouts they post for you, and then you post it and compare with others.

Sure, now I can’t even finish the workouts with the weight and amount they prescribe, but I guarantee I’ll be there in 6 months.   And thats where the fun begins.

Oh, and as far as my gym goes, I spent saturday crafting a medicine ball, parrallelettes, and a 10′ and 20′ plyometrics box so I am good to go.  All three for under 50 bucks!

Oh and I ordered my still rings too so I’m pretty stoaked about that.  I can start working on my muscle ups!

Going to eat a fair amount, guessing around 2400 calories.  Also planning to up my cardio and Starting Crossfit this week.  Workouts will be planned by the day.  They have you work 3 days and 1 off, but since I always take Sunday off, I’ll be doing 3 days on (M, T, W) 1 day off with light cardio (Th), 2 days on (F, Sat), 1 Day off.

Monday:   Crossfit (morning)
Warmup:      3 rounds of 10-15 reps of
(do the Samson Stretch once each round for 15-30 seconds)
Overhead Squat with broomstick
Pull-up
Dip
Workout:   Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups

Tuesday:   Crossfit (morning)
Warmup:   3 rounds of 10-15 reps of
(do the Samson Stretch once each round for 15-30 seconds)
Overhead Squat with broomstick
Sit-up
Back-extension
Pull-up
Dip
Workout:  135 pound Clean and Jerk, 30 reps  (may need to use 95 lbs)
Cardio:  Light run after work (144 bpm)

Wednesday (in bend):  Crossfit (morning)
Warmup:   3 rounds of 10-15 reps of
(do the Samson Stretch once each round for 15-30 seconds)
Overhead Squat with broomstick
Sit-up
Back-extension
Pull-up
Dip
Workout:   Snatch 135 pounds, 30 reps (may need to use 95 pounds)
Cardio:  Light Bike at night(140 bpm) (hot tub at hotel)

Thursday (in bend):   Cardio:  Light run (144 bpm)

Friday:      Crossfit
Warmup:   3 rounds of 10-15 reps of
(do the Samson Stretch once each round for 15-30 seconds)
Overhead Squat with broomstick
Sit-up
Back-extension
Workout:   If you cannot do the muscle-ups do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips.
Cardio:  Light bike (140bpm)

Saturday:   Crossfit
Warmup:   3 rounds of 10-15 reps of Samson Stretch once each round for 15-30 seconds)
Overhead Squat with broomstick
Sit-up
Back-extension
Pull-up
Dip
Workout:  Five rounds for time of:
95 pound Sumo deadlift high-pull, 15 reps
95 pound Thruster, 15 reps
Cardio:  Light Run (144 bpm)

Sunday:  100% rest

So I’ve decided I’m still going run, bike, lift - and do all that other stuff, but I’m taking it to another direction:  Crossfit.  I’ve been doing some research and this kind of thing is really what I want to do.

Here’s some things that piqued my interest from their website:

" CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning           program for many police academies and tactical operations teams,           military special operations units, champion martial artists,           and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

"Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general,           and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival,           many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average,           punish the specialist."

And another part that was very interesting from the website:

"CrossFit is in large part derived from several simple observations garnered through hanging out with athletes for thirty years and willingness, if not eagerness, to experiment coupled with a total disregard for conventional wisdom. Let me share some of the more formative of these observations:
1. Gymnasts learn new sports faster than other athletes.
2. Olympic lifters can apply more useful power to more activities than other athletes.
3. Powerlifters are stronger than other athletes.
4. Sprinters can match the cardiovascular performance of endurance athletes even at extended efforts.
5. Endurance athletes are woefully lacking in total physical capacity.
6. With high carb diets you either get fat or weak.
7. Bodybuilders can’t punch, jump, run, or throw like athletes can.
8. Segmenting training efforts delivers a segmented capacity.
9. Optimizing physical capacity requires training at unsustainable intensities.
10. The world’s most successful athletes and coaches rely on exercise science the way deer hunters rely on the accordion."

So I’m going to give it a shot.  It’s like a big wormhole:  There’s so much information and workouts — they do everything different — and I am not nearly the shape to finish the workouts anywhere these guys do, but they say that they have old men doing it so I’m going to give it a stab.  I’m going to learn as much as I can -

This really looks like the direction I want to go.

I ran the 15TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST CROSS COUNTRY CLASSIC yesterday for my birthday.  First of all, here are the stats:
Time: 22:47
Avg Pace:  7:20
Avg Speed: 8.3 mph
Max Speed: 13.1 MPH (at the end)
Avg Heart Rate: 166
Max Heart Rate: 185
Mile 1:  6:30
Mile 2:  7:31
Mile 3:  7:41
Last .12:  6:24/mi pace

I ran it with Travis (my younger brother) and my mom.  My goal was to come as close as I could to Travis and possibly give him a run for his money.  I don’t get the opportunity to run with him since he lives in Seattle, so I decided to base my pace on what he was doing.

It was also my 30th birthday and I’ve been specifically training for the 5k for a few months so I wanted to get a pretty good time.

Oh, and the race had a bit of a decent hill that you went up three times, which haven’t been on my other 5k courses I’ve ran this year.  I feel I’m pretty good at hills but it could hurt my on my goal of hitting my PR.
So the race started out and, of course, the pace was incredibly fast.  Travis was weaving in and out of people, and I was only a few steps behind.  We rifled up the first hill and I made up some good ground.  A quarter mile later, I really could feel it.  I knew I couldn’t keep at that pace for long.  A quick glance at my watch and it showed me going 6:10/mi!  Ouch!  Thats faster than my 400 meter interval time lol.  I had to let Travis go and maintain a 6:45-7:00 pace.

I was doing pretty good for the first mile, and then we came around and had to go up that hill again.  That made me really feel it.  A minute or two after that hill I began to ponder why I was even doing this.  I should be relaxing on my birthday! 

And just as I started to get into a rhythm again, up the hill again.  The last mile was brutal.  My entire body was burning.

As I approached the finish and went around the track to finish the race, I really felt like I had nothing left. I was pushing it hard but looking back I was really running on my heels.

At the 20 meters this young kid I had passed earlier that mile was sprinting passed me.

As soon as I noticed it I leaped into a full sprint and BARELY beat him.

Although I didn’t beat my brother, and I didn’t get a PR - I did have a lot of fun and came back with some more motivation.  I once again learned the lesson of starting out too fast.   I loved being out there with the family - It was really cool to see my mom run the race and push herself.  I loved cheering her on.

Second to last week before my big 30th birthday and my brother coming down to run that 5k.  So I’m going to have to work hard and work smart.  Here’s what I’m doing:

New goal:  Wake up at 6:30 every morning.  No naps.  No naps.  Did I mention no naps?  Go to bed when I’m tired at night.  Could be 8, could be 10.

Monday: Running, intervals 3×1 mile @ 7:11/mi pace
Tuesday:  Lift morning, Spending night in Bend (exercise bike and hot tub at night)
Wednesday:  Running, 1 mile warmup, 3 miles @ 7:46, 1 mile cooldown
Thursday: Lift morning
Friday:  Running, 6 miles @ 8:16 pace
Saturday:  Lift morning, fun with Jake later

Next week:  Final BIRTHDAY goal week.  Age 30!  Over the hill.

What should I ask for?