HSPU's...YEAH!

Like all, it's been a crazy Holiday Season.  I've been busy shopping, working, getting the house ready for company, and doing a little celebrating as well.  :)  There's my lame excuse for not posting for awhile.

Over the past two weeks, I've been feeling stagnant and slow.  Holiday celebrating caught up with me and I'm feeling the effects.  This weekend I've had one glass of wine, and I have to say that this morning I woke up feeling GOOD!

Friday night, Michelle taught me to kip the Handstand Pushup.  I haven't been so fricking excited with my performance in a LONG time.  If you can knock out 5-10 blue banded HSPU's easily, and have not tried it...DO IT!  With the proper technique it felt easier than the blue band HSPU because there was a little pressure taken off the Shoulders.

1.  Start with head on the floor
2.  Head and hands should be in a tripod position
3.  Bring knees down to chest
4.  Forcibly kick up and push up at the same time

These aren't the greatest pics, but courtesy of my Mom, here ya go.

Hands in Tripod Position

Locked out at the top

Goal Recap
5 consecutive Ring Dips - Still at 3.  
Daily Double Unders practice - Practiced 5 out of 7 days each week.  Definitely getting easier.  Yesterday I was able to string together 5 without singles.
2 days Muscle Up progression practice - 1 day each week.
Wendler Week 3 & 4 - Did not complete.
Heavy Thruster Practice for Max Reps - Did not complete.


This Week and Next Week Goals (only slightly varied)
5 consecutive Ring Dips
Daily Double Unders practice
2 days Muscle Up progression practice
Wendler Week 1 & 2
Heavy Thruster Practice for Max Rep
2 days HSPU practice

Goals Last Week, Goals This Week, Goals For 2011

Why all the goals?  Goals keep me pushing myself mentally and physically to become the best person that I can be in and out of the gym.  I like to think that it also rubs off on my kids and that they will learn that with a little hard work you can achieve ANYTHING that you put your mind to.

At the finish of the 2010 Seattle Half Marathon

Last week Goal Recap
5 consecutive Ring Dips - got 3
Daily Double Unders practice - Got 6 out of 7 days.  They have drastically improved, but it will be an ongoing goal.  My jump is much quieter, but with the new style I have to jump one single for every double.
2 days Muscle Up progression practice - Check.
Get Well - Check
Wendler Week 2 - Bench Press.  Hectic week, missed deadlifts and back squats

This Week and Next Week Goals
5 consecutive Ring Dips
Daily Double Unders practice
2 days Muscle Up progression practice
Wendler Week 3 & 4
Heavy Thruster Practice for Max Reps


2011 Goals
Increase # of consecutive pull ups to 20
Do a muscle up
Do a HSPU
Get a sub 7 minute Fran time
Get a sub 40 minute Murph time
Run a marathon
Increase one rep loads in the following:
Front Squat - 160lbs
Clean - 140lbs
Snatch - 120lbs
Deadlift - 280lbs

What? It took Mark and Tom how long???

Happy Birthday to Adriana and Steven!!!  Yesterday's WOD was a Birthday WOD for Adriana and Steven.  Like all good WOD's it looked deceivingly easy.  I went about my day not worrying about it.  Then I put a call into Michelle on the way to the gym and I started to freak out!  Not good news...the WOD was a bear.  Walked into the gym saw Tom and Mark's time and then the butterflies begun.  To add nuttiness to the picture I was able to watch the first wave prior to my attempt...Blccck..

12/2 Recap

WOD
2 Rounds, of each couplet consecutively, for time:
36 Calories on the C2 Rower
36 Wall-Balls (20#/14#)
21 Burpees
42 One Arm Kettlebell Swings (53#/35#) - 21 Reps each arm

Time:  16:27
This one did suck.  Lucky for me I had Mark Norah doing Wall Ball next to me so I couldn't stop.  Otherwise you might as well add a couple more minutes.

SKILLS
Tonight was a first for me with 20 consecutive Double Unders.  Loving the RX Jump Rope!

FOOD
Breakfast - chicken sausage, broccoli, carrots, Americano w/ splash of heavy cream
Lunch - CHEAT MEAL Chorizo Burrito at this amazing little Taqueria on Gilman.
Dinner - Lean beef, grilled onions & peppers, avocado, tomatoes
Dessert - CHEAT 2 pieces of chocolate covered macadmias & one glass of red wine

Why is that for me a cheat early in the day leads to cravings and a cheat later in the evening?  Weird, but it's pretty consistent.  Anyway if you every want some darn good authentic Mexican food you have to check out the little Taqueria on Gilman in the same shopping center as Sherwin Williams.

My shoulders are tired and my lats hurt!

Maybe it's the painting, the pull ups, or the overhead squats, but DANG my upper body is tired and sad.  Yesterday, I missed my double under practice.  Not that practice was scheduled and I ran late.  I just didn't do it.  Tonight...double unders are on deck!

12/1 Recap

WOD

Front Squats 3-3-3-3-3
95lbs-115lbs-120lbs-125lbs-130lbs

I HATE front squats, simply for the fact that I always end up leaning too far forward and keeping my elbows up and my body upright is a complete challenge.  They're better but they could get improve.

Overhead Squats 1-1-1-1-1
95lbs-105lbs-110lbs-115lbs-120lbs(F)

Now I LOVE overhead squats, simply for the fact that they feel good. I have the bar above my head to leverage against to prevent my body from leaning forward.  However, the WOD was running late last night so my last two attempts felt rushed and I missed my last lift.  My ability to focus during a strength WOD could definitely improve. I will make 120 next time.  Infact I feel strong enough for 125...I just missed the jerk off the back.

FOOD

Breakfast- One chicken sausage, grapes, Americano w/ heavy cream
Lunch- Beef Stew, Avocado
Snack- Americano w/ heavy cream
Dinner - Porkchop, green beans
Snack- Nuts

RX Jump ropes ROCK!

So I got my RX Jumprope in the mail...Not only is it cute, but it is incredible AWESOME.  Yesterday morning I practiced and could consistently achieve 10-15 double unders with no problem!  Yeah Jump Rope!

Note:  The length is 8'3"

My kipping pull up was also mysteriously smooth and easy last night.  My set was a string of 10 and then it  6 and 4, then 5 and 5.  The 7th through 10th round were broken up due to my beat up hands.  :(  Need to heal these guys then saw them down.

11/30 Recap


WOD 
10 rounds:  10 box jumps, 10 pull ups
Time:  12:58

100 abmat sits ups
Time:  2:00

Skills
15 minutes double under practice

Food


Breakfast- grapes, americano w/ heavy cream
Lunch- Beef stew, Avocado
Snack- Americano w/ heavy cream
Dinner- Meatballs, 1 glass of wine

How not to train for a half marathon

I'm excited to say that Laura and I completed the Seattle Half Marathon.  It was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to the next one!  There were however some things that I could have done differently.

My training outside of Crossfit consisted of 5 training runs; a 10k, a 7 mile run, a 8 mile run, a 9 mile run, and a 10 mile run.  I'm pretty happy with little running specific training that I completed the run in 2 hours and 15 minutes.  However, it could have been a 2 hour run for me and less stress on the legs had I trained appropriately.  Mile 12 of the race my knee gave out, and I had to walk to release the tension and then was able to finish with a steady jog. 



Laura and I at the start of the race!



Back to training for Sectionals!

11/29 Recap

WOD
12minute AMRAP:  400M run, 5 Deadlifts

This seemed to be a cruel joke after the half marathon, but I chose a light load, 153#, and completed 5 rounds while stretching out my hammies.

Wendler 3-3-12
Bench Press 70lbs, 80lbs, 90lbs

Skills
Ring Dips, Muscle Up Progressions, Double Unders

Thanks to Rona I worked on Ring Dips, a set of 3 and a set of 2.  I attempted two musle ups on the rings which was humorous but completed one decent musle up progression.  It was the closest I've felt to doing something that actually resembles a muscle up.  Good stuff.  I got some more double under practice in.  Last night I received my RX Jump Rope and I Love it.  My double unders have regressed to double, single, double, single as I'm using the jump up with straight leg technique.  It seems to be working.  I can consistently achieve 10 Doubles with this method. 

Food

Breakfast- Grapes, Americano w/ heavy cream
Lunch- Beef Stew, Avocado
Dinner- Turkey, Cranberry, Carrots, Broccoli
Snack- Nuts

Breaking the silence...

Sorry guys for the lack of posting.  There's been just a few things going on the past couple of days:  lots of snow, sickness, & philosophical food discussions.  

Let's start with the last one.  Michelle and I were discussing the Whole 30 and the after effects, wanting everything that you had not eaten for 30 days.   In general, my eating habits to begin with are good.  I don't eat pasta, bread, grains, and I consume limited amounts of dairy.  I eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, and protein.  Occasionally, I may want ice cream or chocolate, but it's not that often.  Last weekend, I made the Paleo Lasagna that I posted and I added mozzarella cheese to it as well.  What's funny is that I felt like I was committing a crime.  The guilt was ridiculous and the obsession of the addition of cheese a little kooky.  At the end of the day it was a sign of why the whole 30 is not sustainable for me long term.  Now I'm still going to post what I eat, because it is important and I do want to improve my eating patterns.  I just want it to be long term and life long.

What's ironic is I went to a fabulous dinner with my Mom last night for Thanksgiving Dinner and I didn't touch the bread or the mashed potatoes.  They were not appealing among the turkey, cranberries, & roasted vegetables.  I did eat the dessert, but the cool thing about going to a restaurant is that you can't go back for another piece.  :O)

Turkey Dinner with Mom

The snow is not so important, but the sickness is bringing me down just a wee bit.  It may keep me from running the half marathon.  I was unable to workout yesterday and I'm down and out today.  I went to the doctor and was given antibiotics, an inhaler, and cough medicine.  So here I am on the couch watching the Blue Planet with Maya.  As much as I feel the need to get up and do something, Rest is mandatory today so here I lay.  

This week I did manage to start Wendler back up.  My cycle includes back squat, deadlift, & bench press.  Double Unders are still an obstacle.  This week my weakness was exposed.  A WOD that took most 25 minutes took me 39 minutes.  Just an example that it warrants a lot of attention.  Based on suggestions in the gym I ordered an RX Jump Rope to practice the double unders and I received some jumping pointers from Tom and Michelle that I'm practicing.

Goals for the upcoming week.

1.  Get Well

2.  Wendler Week #2

3.  Daily Double Under Practice

4.  Muscle Up Practice two days

5.  Ring Dips - 5 consecutive

Whole 30 Day #8

My goal yesterday morning was to reattempt a WOD that I did in April and PR it.  Rounds 1 through 3 were smooth.  Rounds 4 and 5 I was getting one double under at a time.  In addition Maya was standing there asking me a question and I flipped out.  Which brings me to my next goal, learn how to focus and cut out distractions mid WOD.  At the end of the day I added 8 seconds to my old time.  

Dinner was a success though.  I tried a new recipe I found on a blog.  Great dinner.  I added italian sausage to make it meatier, and the kids loved it.  Murdock didn't even notice that the lasagna was missing the pasta.  Here's the link Paleo Lasagna

11/21 WOD and Food

Breakfast-

Banana, Americano w/ coconut milk, 3 breakfast sausage links

Lunch-

Steak, salsa, fajita vegetables, guacamole

Dinner-

Paleo Lasagna

WOD

5 rounds for time:

40 Double Unders

30 Box Jumps, 20"

20 KB Swings, 35lbs

Whole 30 Day #7

Good Morning Happy Campers!  It's Sunday and I'm feeling a heck of a lot more chipper this morning compared to yesterday morning after my port.  :)

Yesterday my boys and I walked to a local Sandwich Shop, Spicoli's, at the top of the ridge.  The clerks behind the counters were unable to make a sandwich for me without bread.  Bummed, I went across to IGA, bought some meat and an apple and walked back to eat lunch with Gary and Murdock.  It wasn't a big deal, but I thought to myself that the shop could have made an additional $10 sale if they just offered their Sandwiches on a plate sans bun.

Breakfast-
Grande Americano w/ Coconut milk
Chicken Sausage, Pineapple

Lunch-
Lunch Meat, Apple, Tall Americano

Dinner-
Scrambled Eggs, Avocado

Dessert-
Nuts (too many, but I was warding off alcohol and sugar)

WOD
Christine - PR by 1 minute 23 seconds

WHOLE 30 Day #6

Last night I experienced the BEST duck dinner of my life.  In the midst of the marvelous duck cooking experience I had a wee bit of Port while prepping the ingredients.  I know, I know....ugh.  However, the food was all Paleo for the day.

My ring dips are getting better.  Got in a few more today before the WOD with some headstand practice.  My goal is to push up into a handstand from a headstand before the end of the year.

11/19 Food & Workout Recap


Breakfast-
Americano w/ coconut milk
Chicken Sausage, banana

Lunch-
Chicken Breast, Broccoli, Carrots

Dinner-
Duck, Garlic Asparagus, Tomato, Basil, Avocado Salad, port

Workout Skills-
Backsquat 1 rep max, 155lbs
Double Under practice
800M row

WHOLE 30 Day #5

Eating Paleo during the week is pretty easy for me.  Tonight the weekend starts and as always it's where my food and alcohol demons lie.  On tap for tonight is a healthy Duck dinner which I'm pretty stoked about.  I'm also taking my boss Kathy's suggestion of club soda and lime for a drink substitution.  We shall see...

11/18 Recap

Food


Breakfast -
Americano w/ splash of heavy cream
Two Chicken Sausages
Grilled Onions and Peppers

Lunch -
Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Dinner-
2 Scrambled Eggs, sausage, avocado, pineapple

Workout 


WOD

Clean (full squat) one rep every minute on the minute for 15 minutes.

New PR: 123lbs  I'm pretty stoked!

Checkout WOD:

2 Minutes of Max Rep Double-Unders

My Double Unders were straight up BAD.  Last time I did this I completed 46 in 2 Minutes, this time 41.  Practice, Practice, Practice.  They are on tap for tonight.

WHOLE 30 Day #4

Yesterday was great!  In the morning I was not too hungry, so I ate just one of the chicken sausages and half of the vegetables.  Lunch wasn't until 1pm because I went to the gym.  The late lunch took care of my afternoon hunger.  It was also my first two workouts a day in about a month.  I missed it and it's damn good to be back!  Good stuff all around!

Here's a pic of dinner.  I'm lucky to live with my Mom.  She had dinner ready when I got home from coaching last night.

Chicken Breast, Orange Ginger Carrots, Broccoli

Workout

Lunchtime fun-

1 rep Bench Press Max - 115lbs

Squat Snatch work - approx 30 reps with a 45lb bar.  Practiced emphasis of shrugging the shoulders and getting under the bar.  

WOD-

10 minutes Handstand Push-ups
5 Minutes Squats
2 Minutes Pull-ups
1 Minute Push-ups

Used a blue band on the HSPU's.  Need to transition to red, then floor.  

Today I'm ready for the some double under fun!

WHOLE 30 Day #3 TIP #1

Tip #1:  Read.  Reading has been pretty amazing for me the past couple of days.  When I have down time, and I find myself idle (which generally leads to wandering around the kitchen) I've picked up a book.

You may enjoy something else like knitting, video games, or surfing the web.  Whatever it is, try it when you find yourself drawn to the kitchen.

Yesterday was pretty easy.  Between 2pm and 3pm I find myself hungry.  Monday I had grapes, and yesterday I went for a walk around the building.  Last night we had a deconstructed Taco Salad without the lettuce.  I mixed lean ground beef with chorizo to add a ton of flavor and served it on top of grilled pepper and onions with a side of avocado and homemade salsa.  The kids loved it.

By dinner I'm generally flying around the kitchen, but I will get better at grabbing dinner photo shots.  Here's another pic of Breakfast and Lunch packed.  I'm taking my left over onions and peppers with Chorizo Chicken Sausage for Breakfast.  Broccoli and Garlic Chicken Sausage with avocado are for lunch.

NOTE:  Last challenge I would add fat to my breakfast.  I've found that between my Fish Oil and Coconut Milk in my coffee I don't need any additional fat.

Workout

Swimming was out as my partner cancelled.  I should have gone anyway but decided that it was better to get home earlier to make dinner.

WOD-
Nancy

I felt really good about this.  The last time I completed Nancy was at Gravity Janes and I came in above 23 minutes.  Last night was 16:25.

WHOLE 30 Day #2

Good Morning Happy Campers!!  The power is out on the Ridge which left me some extra time to work on my blog this morning while trying to figure out the school situation.

Day one was smooth.  Breakfast and Lunch went as packed with a snack of grapes in the afternoon.  Dinner was a fantastic chicken breast and garlic asparagus.  All in all a perfect and wonderful day of eating.

Workout
WOD -
As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 Minutes of:

15 Hang Power Cleans(115#/75#)
12 Ring Dips
21 AbMat Sit-ups


I'm happy to say that I finally have some full range ring dips.  The obstacle is that I don't have enough to do them RX in the WOD above.  Still working on them.  Today the plan is swimming and Nancy.


Breakfast and Lunch is packed for today.  Tonight I'm making homemade salsa!

30 Day Challenge Take #2

So judging from my last few postings I think that everyone can see that my eating habits have not been so stellar.  Yesterday afternoon my Mom was baking and my good eating went to hell in a hand basket.  The issue is that this has been a continuous pattern for the past few weeks.  My Mom bakes all the time.  She's a fine baker, but I generally don't eat what she makes.  It just seems that for whatever reason, call it stress or lack of willpower, I've been saying yes more than I've been saying no lately.

The Whole 30 is back.  If you don't know what it is, check out this link.  If you do it, you will feel better and your health will improve.  I want to feel better, I want to be healthy, and I want killer performance in the gym.  White Chocolate Molasses Bars and Wine are not going to get me there.

www.whole9life.com

Breakfast and Lunch ready to go.  

For the next 30 Days you will see posts of my Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner.  Feel free to post your meals and your ideas to implement Lifelong Paleo Eating.

Disclaimer:  My Mom, Gary, my Best friend and I are going out to a restaurant on 11/28.  I will not be eating Paleo for that meal.

5k, Mud, & Obstacles = a TON OF FUN

The Pineapple Classic was awesome!  Costumes, Mud, Tires, Walls, Long Jumps, Tunnels...what's not to love?  All in all it was a great day!

At the finish...Brenda, Rick, Joel, Me

The last two days have been a lot of fun, but light on the WOD'ing.  Friday was a forced rest day, and yesterday although fun was light on the output.  I finished feeling let's do it again!

Today the plan is Friday make up WOD and a 3 mile run.  In addition, I want to get in some skills work, double unders & ring dips.

Practice Makes PR!

Okay, practice may not make Perfect, but darn it I PR'd Annie by 3 minutes and 3 seconds.  Of course it also helped to have Lucy working out next to me who was killing the double unders.

I also got two full range ring dips tonight.  Life is GOOD!

11/11 Food and Workout

Workout


WOD- Annie

Skills-
10 HSPU with a green band 5 HSPU with a blue band
3 Ring Dips

Food

Breakfast-
Americano w/ Splash of Heavy Cream
Pork Chop, Avocado, Mandarin Orange, Asian Pear

Lunch-
Steak, Broccoli, Squash

Snack-
Americano w/ Splash of Heavy Cream

Dinner-
Chicken Breast, Zucchini, Carrots

Dessert-
Nuts

Happy Veterans Day!

Happy Veterans Day to all active duty and retired Military!  Yesterday we did the Lumberjack 20 in honor of the Soldiers that were gunned down in Fort Hood, TX on 11/5/09.

I did not get any skills work in yesterday, but it felt good to go RX on the WOD.  Today I'm feeling pretty good.  Looking forward to getting into the gym and doing Annie tonight.

11/10 Food and Workout

Food

Breakfast-
Americano w/ a Splash of Heavy Cream
Pork, Asian Pear, Mandarin Orange

Lunch-
Steak

Snack-
Americano w/ a Splash of Heavy Cream
Nuts, Mandarin Orange

Dinner-
Chicken Breast
2 glasses of Wine

Workout

WOD-
Lumberjack 20

And the sickness is finally going away!

Finally...I'm starting to get over this cold.  Thank you!  This is going to be a quick post tonight as I'm exhausted.  Over the past two days I've still managed to get some double under practice in.  Due to my cold, my food has been soup based with some popsicles thrown in to heal a sore throat, so not entirely Paleo.

11/8 Food and WOD

Workout


WOD -
7 rounds for time: 10 Wallball, 10 Pull Ups

Skills Work -
Double Unders
Static Dips, Muscle Up Progressions (something new from Crossfit Cashmere, very cool!)

Food


Breakfast -
Americano w/ a splash of heavy cream
Grapes

Lunch-
Green Curry

Dinner-
Popsicles (don't ask, my throat was killing me)

11/9 Food and WOD

Workout

WOD -

Snatch: 1 a minute for 15 minutes

Check out-  

5 rounds: 4 O/H squats (65#), 20 Double Unders

Skills Work -

Nothing Extra Today.  :(

Food

Breakfast -

Americano w/ a splash of heavy cream

Mandarin Orange, Eggs w/bacon, Nuts

Lunch-

Chicken Pho

Snack-

Nuts, Apple

Dinner-

Meatballs, Broccoli

Practice Makes Perfect...Right?

So we're watching the competition on Saturday and Mark turns to me and says there's no reason that you can't improve your double unders.  All you have to do is practice them every day.  I had no come back, because ultimately he's right.

Yesterday was the first day of double under practice.  My back was too tight to lift any loads, so I figured it was a good day to start.  My back feels much looser today and I'm thinking the doubles may have helped.

Skills Day
20 minutes of double under practice
Sets of 15, sets of 10, sets of 5 and lots of sets in-between due to snagging
1000M Row
Ring Dip Practice

Food Log


Brunch -
Americano w/ Splash of Heavy Cream
Fruit, Veggies, Nuts, Olives, BBQ Pork (all courtesy of Evan's Bday party)

Snack-
Americano w/ Splash of Heavy Cream

Dinner -
Ribeye Steak, Acorn Squash, Tomato, Avocado, Mozzarella, Basil
2 glasses cabernet

Mt Rainier's Strongest Man and Woman Competition

Yesterday was an incredible experience.  I had a lot of fun and it was fantastic to watch friends display pure AWESOMENESS!  It was great to compete with a such a strong group of women, and I made a few new friends that I'm excited to see at Sectionals.  I also want to say thank you to friends, my Mom, Maya, Murdock, and Garrett for coming out to watch us all compete.  The support is incredible and you have no idea how much it means to have you all there.  Thank you!

Did I make weight?  Uh, No.  I fell in to the 140-160lb weight class.  I'll get into the effects later for each event.  I'm still not a huge fan of scales and the madness behind watching your weight every day or even every week, but next year I will be in the lower weight class.  Not just for the lower loads, but overall my performance and health will be improved by decreasing my body fat.

Event #1: 1 Rep Max Effort Fatbar Deadlift

My lift:  223 lbs

Lifting with a Fatbar is DIFFERENT!  I practiced these one night a week ago.  I made 203#, jumped to 223# and failed.  So, although I was 7th out of 8, I am happy with my 223# lift.

Event #2: 2 Rounds for time - 200M run, 5 stone lifts (135#), 1 rope climb
10 minute time cap


My time:  7:30
Scale:  135 lb stone was RX, I used a 100 lb stone.

Yesterday morning was the first time I've ever lifted a stone, and let me tell you it's fun but challenging.  :)  My first round I struggled with the stones.  By round two I got the hip pop down and the stone lifts went quicker.  This was the event that I was most nervous about, but I felt strong on the rope climbs and was happy to complete it prior to the cut off.  This was definitely the high point of my day.   Finished 7th out of 8.

Event #3: 3 Rounds for time - 7 Fatbar Push Jerks (105#), 21 Double Unders

5 minute time cap

My time:  DNF - 1 complete round, + 5 Push Jerks

Scale:  Did not scale, probably should have

This shocked me.  I practiced 107# in the gym and I felt strong.  What I didn't do was multiple reps or combine the Push Jerks with another movement.  Cleaning the fatbar destroyed me.  Not to mention I threw everything that I had at WOD #2.  What's ironic is that I was so concerned about the Double Unders that I never prepared myself properly for the Push Jerks.  I finished 5th out of 8.

Event #4: 50ft (guess) Farmer's Carry (240#), 50ft Sandbag Carry (100#)

2 minute time cap

My time:  DNF 

Scale:  Did not scale, I should have

Shocked, embarrassed, words can't express how frustrated I felt at the end of this WOD.  I couldn't lift the Farmer's Carry.  For 2 minutes I pulled and pulled to no avail.  Everyone screamed and cheered.  A new friend Chris gave me a hug at the end.  She stood next to me, cheered, and offered me chalk.  I was the only competitor not to finish this WOD.

To sum it up, this was an incredible experience.  I'm coming back stronger next year!

11/5 Update

T.G.I.F.  Missing work and having a sick child really threw a wrench in to this week.  I'm glad to see Friday!  Tomorrow is going to be a blast regardless of my encounter with "the stones".  

11/5 Food and WOD

Food

Breakfast-
Chicken Sausage, Mandarin Orange, Apple
Americano w/ splash of heavy cream

Lunch-
Hamburger Patty, Apple

Snack-
Pumpkin Protein Smoothie (don't ask)

Dinner-
Chicken Stock, Cashew Butter, Mandarin Orange

Workout

Skills Work
Double Unders, Medball Cleans, PVC Cleans

11/4 Update

Yesterday was better.  Food intake was under control.  However, due to a hectic evening at home (with no Mom may I add) I had to stay home and sooth the masses, so I missed my WOD.  

The forced rest was a good thing as Mt. Rainier's Strongest Man and Woman competition is tomorrow.  I'm not making the lower weight class, but I've come to grips with it.  

After the competition I'll post all the numbers for you all to see.  I'm going to keep blogging my food as this is a trouble area for me and something that needs continued focus.
11/4 Food and WOD

Food

Breakfast-
Chicken Sausage, Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini
Americano w/ splash of heavy cream

Lunch-
Pork Chop
Sweet Potatoes

Snack-
Apple w/ Almond Butter

Dinner-
Hamburger Patty, Avocado, Grilled Onions, Carrots

Workout

Nothing - Forced Rest Day

Food and WOD Update

So let's start with the good news.  The past week has been full of double unders, rope climbs, heavy overheads, and fat bar work.  I love it.  Overall I've been feeling stronger, lighter, and faster. 

Until yesterday that is, and that's where the bad news comes in.  This is so disgusting that it has taken me two days to write up the post due to my embarrassment.  Tuesday I had an all day love affair with my fridge, pantry and freezer.  Last night when I went for my 10 mile run, every step felt like I was trudging through sand.  It was a horrific reminder of what happens when I eat garbage and lots of it.  The positive part of this whole ordeal is that no alcohol was involved.

Cause and effect is easy to analyze, but my real questions are how did it happen, why did I let it happen, and how can I stop it from happening again.  I could give you all of my personal drama, stress, and excuses for the big mis step, but the truth is that my life is pretty damn good.  I have wonderful kids, a good job, a loving family, great friends, and a pretty fantastic SnoRidge Crossfit community that make my life awesome. 

To top it off, food is fuel, not an emotional crutch.  My issue is that food and alcohol are much more than that in my life.  Balance is good, but how do you get there?  As soon as I find the answer, I'll share the wealth.

So here it is:

11/2 Food and WOD

Food

Breakfast-
1 chicken sausage, tomato, avocado, basil
Americano w/ splash of heavy cream

Snack-
1 banana & nuts

Lunch-
Ice cream Sundae

Dinner-
Steak, tomato, avocado, sweet potato

Dessert-
2 Reese Peanut Butter Klondike Bars
5 funsize candy bats

Workout

WOD-
Get Strong Overhead
3 Rounds for Time:
50 Ft. Barbell Overhead Walk (105#)
20 Wall Balls (14#)
15 Box Jumps (24")

Skills Work-
150 Double Unders for Time

11/3 Food and WOD

Food

Breakfast-
Grapes
Americano w/ splash of heavy cream

Snack-
Orange

Lunch-
Chicken Breast
Broccol w/ Balsamic and Olive Oil

Snack-
Apple w/ Almond Butter

Dinner-
Pork Chop, Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts

Workout

WOD-
10.11 mile run

11/1 Food and WOD

It was a good day yesterday.  Got in some good food and some good rope climbing.  Today Double Unders are on deck.


Food


Breakfast-
Grapes & Nuts
Americano w/ splash of heavy cream

Lunch-
Pork Goulash
broccoli

Dinner-
Chicken breasts
Brussel Sprouts

Workout


WOD - Jackie
Skills Work - 3 rope climbs

10/30 and 10/31 WOD and Food Update

And the drinking continued through the weekend.  Enough Said.

10/30 


Food

Breakfast -
Grapes
Americano w/ Splash of Heavy Cream

Lunch-
1 1/2 chicken sausage
tomatoes, basil, avocado

Dinner-
beef stew
2 water & vanilla vodka
1 glass of wine


Workout


Frankenchipper WOD

10/31 Food 

Breakfast -

Fruit Omelette

Americano w/ Splash of Heavy Cream

Dinner-

Pork Ghoulash w/ broccoli

1 glass of wine

4 fun size snickers bars

Workout

1 hour run around Arboretum

"Brenton" WOD

10/29 Food & WOD Update

Before I begin, let me start by saying that today is going to be a GREAT day!  And to be honest I had a lot of fun in the gym last night with Jana.  Thanks for hanging out and working on skills with me.  I also had fun going home, hanging out the with Kids, Mom, & Friends and cooking dinner.  Any ordinary week I could have written off yesterday as a hiccup or a cheat, but you know the deal and the deadline.  Read on.

No excuses, I get an "F" for food on Friday.  I left the house in a hurry, and I did not pack anything for the day.  Breakfast was light and real food free which left me starving for lunch, and then I didn't start cooking dinner until 7pm.  The kids had put in a Friday meal request last week for something I make rarely, and my intention was to cook a chicken breast for myself.  We all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  Top the night off with wine and you can pretty much call today one big FUBAR.

The good news is that I got in the WOD at the gym which contained double unders, and did some skill work in preparation for next week.

Food


Breakfast-
Americano with a splash of heavy cream
Protein Bar

Lunch-
Chicken Burrito

Dinner-
Crab Alfredo
Tomatoes, Avocado, Basil
3 glasses Wine


Workout


WOD
50-35-20 reps of:
Push Ups
Abmat Situps
Double Unders
12:56
Positive Note:  I had my first string of 15.
Tragic Note:  Immediately after, I snagged the next seven double unders.

3 rope climbs
Fat Bar Clean & Jerk
67lbs, 87lbs, 97lbs, 107lbs
Fat Bar Deadlift
107lbs, 177lbs, 217lbs (fail), 207lbs

10/28 Food & WOD Update

Yesterday was hectic with appointments, but I was able to meet Michelle in the gym for skills work.  She gave me the cue "look down to re adjust my feet" on the rope climb and whoop there it was!

Workout

3 rope climbs

Banded HSPU practice (from green to red)

Ring Dip practice

Stationary Dip practice

Checkout WOD

Max Double Unders in 2 Min - 46 

Obviously this is a big area of concern.  I'll be doing double unders every day.

Food

Breakfast -

Americano with Splash Heavy Cream

Chorizo with Eggs & Guacamole (no tortillas, no potatoes, no sour cream)

Lunch-

Breakfast was out and more food than I bargained for so I skipped lunch.

Dinner 

Slow Cooked Beef with Pepperoncinis and Onions, Green Beans

T minus 9 days

Till Mt. Rainier's Strongest Man & Woman competition.  What do I still have left to do?

1.  Get down to the 121-139lb weight class.
2.  Practice Rope Climbs, Double Unders, Fat Bar Deadlifts, Fat Bar Clean & Jerks

Since my obsession with Crossfit began, I have been less and less concerned with my weight and more concerned with performance and feeling lean, strong, and just plain healthy.  While this is a good thing, it does leave room for error and fat on my hips.  :)  This competition has really forced me to look at my food consumption and my weight.

The whole 30 was a great way to refocus on eating good food, and in general this was not a huge adjustment for me (okay people we all know about my alcohol consumption).  The whole 30 does not address portion control and for me this can be an issue and a big adjustment.  I feel like I'm rambling, but the point here is the reason this weight class is a challenge is that my portions on a daily basis are larger than necessary.

What to do?

Weight:  As of last Monday I cut my food intake in half.  Instead of two chicken sausages for breakfast, I had one.  Instead of fruit, I had vegetables with my meals.  I replaced nuts with olive oil and avocado to avoid over nut consumption.  Each day for the next nine days, I'll post my meals, just so you can follow the progress.  If my performance is affected, I will increase the food intake.  I don't encourage starving and I refuse to lose weight at the risk of my health.

Practice:  Over the next nine days, I'll be getting in to the gym and practicing Rope Climbs, Deadlifts, Clean & Jerks, and Double Unders.

Follow Up:  Each Day I'll post my food intake and Gym Activities.  And of course I'll let you know if I make the weight class come 11/6.

Let the bodies hit the floor!

The Last Cheat Meal....

The last one?  Am I crazy?  Uh, no.  I've got two weeks to squeeze into a lower weight class for the Rainier Strong Man & Woman Event, and well this was my last hurrah so to speak.  More about that in another post....

Tonight's Menu:  Scallops in Mushroom Brandy Sauce, Creamed Spinach, & Butternut Squash

Scallops in Mushroom Brandy Sauce
2lbs Scallops, dried off and seasoned with salt and pepper.
1lb assorted mushrooms (chanterelles, creminis, shitakes)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Sear Scallops in a HOT pan (I use an iron skillet), approximately 2 minutes on each side.  Remove scallops to side plate.  Turn heat to medium.  In the same pan saute mushrooms and shallots for three minutes.  Add Brandy (this could cause flames, so you may want to remove from the heat).  Add cream and bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes.  Scrape up the tasty bits from the bottom.  Add Scallops just to reheat and serve.

Creamed Spinach
1 large bag of spinach from costco
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 slices bacon, sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano
 

In large heavy pan cook bacon till crisp.  On a medium heat add garlic and batches of spinach until all spinach cooks down, this takes about 10 to 15 minutes.  Continue to cook spinach until all of the liquid evaporates.  Add heavy cream and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil for 2 - 3 minutes.  Serve topped with grated cheese.

Maya loves her spinach.

Butternut Squash
Cut in half long ways, season with salt and pepper and olive oil.  Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

Coming down the Mountain!

T.G.I.F people!  It's been quite the week, and I'm ready to unwind this weekend with some more running, painting, costume shopping, pumpkin carving, etc.  I did have a unique and awesome experience yesterday that I have to share. 

For years on the way back from my aunt & uncles farm I would look out the window passing exit 47 on I90 and think to myself that must be a hell of a great place to hike because there are tons of fricking people parked there...I need to do that some time.   Yesterday morning I received a last minute cancellation for a not so fun legal appointment and seized the moment to hike Granite Mountain.

The trail starts off steep out of the gate.  You'll rise 800ft in the first mile.  Instead of dark switchbacks like Mt Si, Granite Mtn starts off in the woods with streams and opens up onto colorful meadows.  There are rocks to climb on and lakes to view.  At the top of mountain is an old look out which is a great place to view Mt Baker, Ranier, and the Cascade Mtn range.  Simply Amazing. 

Hikers that I ran into said that when berries are still available there are some bear sightings, but my only animal encounter was with a hungry chipmunk. The total elevation gain is 3800ft over 4.3 miles, but you'll hardly notice as the terrain is contstantly varied, not one steep incline.  The peak is at 5600ft. 

At the top of the picture is the lookout where there is an incredible view.

If you decide to visit be sure to grab a NW Trail pass or be like me, forget, and park next to the freeway.  Take exit 47 on I90, take a left off the exit and make your first left.  There is a sign and you'll run right into the trailhead.



 

Garbage In = Garbage Out

Happy Wednesday all!

It's been almost two weeks since I finished the whole 30.   All of the garbage was eliminated from my system, I saw how great I felt and noticed changes in my health, performance, etc.

Here comes the hard part.  I get to admit what I've been doing for the last two weeks and how it's affected me.

Garbage In

The first thing to go was carrying coconut milk around with me in tupperware.  I still drink coconut milk in my coffee at home, but I've been getting heavy cream when I order coffee out.  Alcohol made an appearance the Friday night after the challenge was over.  I've drank 3 times per week in the last two weeks, so 6 days out of the last 14.  Rough.  There was one ice cream binge, and it was a binge:  two pieces of ice cream cake and one bowl of ice cream.  Last mess up was the reappearance of the protein bar for a quick breakfast when I'm not prepared with real food.  This occurred three times over the last 2 weeks.

Garbage Out


What is the result of my debauchery?  My sleep has been the first thing to go.  No sleep = tired, sluggish, mentally drained.  Next?  My muscles ache and I'm physically drained.  And?  My skin is breaking out and there are permanent bags under my eyes.  This is all great stuff right?  Uh, No.  And my performance in the gym has sucked.  All of this leads to a negative attitude which if there is one thing I try to avoid is being Negative (don't confuse this with my whining before a WOD, that's just blowing off steam)  :O)

What Next?


Alcohol:  This is no news flash, my alcohol consumption needs to be cut back.  Period.  I've blogged about it before but you can't ignore physical proof.  This is something that I'll be posting about routinely, my alcohol consumption, because I think it's important and it affects our sleep and mood more than most of us are ready to admit.  It's also the first thing that a lot of my friends and coworkers talk about when it comes to celebrating and unwinding from a crazy week.  There is a better way and my mission is to find it.

Food:  When I'm on the go quality is a big issue.  I can be better, have protein always ready to go, hardboiled eggs, etc, but overall I'm pretty good here.  The ice cream binge would not have been so bad had I stopped at the bowl of ice cream, but that's not what happened.  This was after a couple of glasses of wine, talking about an insane sugar spike.

Plan:  One cheat night a week.  This cheat night is limited to either dinner or dessert, not both.  Alcohol can also be part of this cheat night, but again this is ONE night per week.

Follow Up:  In two weeks I'll be posting about my progress and how I feel.

Post your comments on your experience coming off of the 30 days or how you stay on track with your food goals.

REST - and when to take it

Happy Friday to you all!  I love Fridays.  They are filled with magic, glitter, fairies, unicorns, and butterflies.  This Friday (and yesterday) are extra special because I'm RESTING.

Two days in a row?  What!  You can't be serious!  On to the questions:  REST - Why? When? How long?

Why?  Every now and the we push our bodies to the point where it needs to rest, repair, and recover.

When?  It's personal.  For me it's time when every muscle aches, and I dread the thought of going into the gym.  It hit me yesterday.  After 25 days of no physical rest I woke up and my hamstrings, back, shoulders, and neck were sore.  20 minutes  of rolling my butt, hamstrings, and shoulders on the ball felt better, but I still ached all over.  Mentally I'm drained, so guess what folks...it's time.

How Long?  Again, this is personal.  For me I'm taking TWO whole days.  Now tomorrow we are doing Grace to raise money for Breast Cancer, so that prompted the additional day.   Two days of rest will do wonders for my body and I'll come back stronger next week.

Leave your comments of your rest/recovery routine.  Do you have one?

 

My Mom's Beef

First of all...my Mom is the BEST cook in the whole world.  Not only does she cook and bake, but she keeps our meals Paleo for the sake of our family's health.

This post is dedicated to my Mom.  She is a selfless person that goes out of her way for her children's and grandchildren's needs.  My Mom works full time, but comes home and cooks dinner almost every night after a day of work.  She loves us all unconditionally, never passes judgement and is there for anything that we need.  She is truly the most amazing woman I have ever met.  I only hope to grow up to be half the woman that my Mom is.

Mom's Stew
3lbs Chuck Steak (cut into stew sized pieces)
1 cup almond flour (or not, totally up to you)
1+ tsp parsley
1+ tsp sage
1+ tsp rosemary
1+ tsp thyme (believe it or not these herbs became part of the stew based on a Simon and Garfunkel song)
vegetables (today was carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, zucchini)
1 22oz bottle Double Black IPA

In a zip lock back shake the chuck steak with the almond flour, parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme.  Brown in a Dutch Oven or large skillet.  Pour beer over meat.  Add water until meat is covered.  Simmer ingredients in covered pan for 1 - 1.5 hours (depending upon amount of meat).  For last 45 minutes add veggies.  Add zucchini in the last 20 minutes.

NOTE:  Almond Flour and herb amounts are all approximate.  It depends upon how much meat you have to coat.  There should be enough herbs in the almond flour mixture for them to be visible throughout the bag.

30 Day Done...on to the next one

The 30 Day Challenge is done and I'm wearing white sweat pants this morning.  I must be feeling good!
So, what's next?  And better yet, what did I learn?  And how do I feel?

After 30 days of eating real food 3 times a day and after every workout, I feel mentally clear, physically stronger, leaner and just overall better.

Here are some stats:

• Lost 6 lbs 
• Took 5 minutes off of the 10 rounds of 10 burpees and 10 pull ups WOD
• Increased my one rep Front Squat
• PR'd my 10k by 5 minutes
• PR'd Grace by 1 minute

What did I learn?  Obviously what we put in our body affects everything.  Eating real food is something that I want to continue.  Drinking less is important as well.  Weekend nights were filled with too much wine.

What's next?  As Laura put it, the 30 days turns into 60, then 90, then 120....This is now a way of life with the occasional glass of wine, not the weekend binge.

On deck is Rainier's Strongest Man and Woman Competition and the Seattle half marathon.  So what do I have to do to train?  I need to improve my Double Unders and Rope Climbs for Rainier's Competition and run a lot more miles for the half marathon.  I would like to be in a lower weight class for the Strong Man Competition and need to loose 5 lbs in exactly 30 days.

So pick a goal for yourself....what's next for you?

Here I am on the left with my arms spread out like chicken wings...Need to improve those Doubles!!

Ugghhhh.....I have to keep going on, but why?

It's been a tough week and it's only Tuesday.  Every now and then we all get slapped in the face by life and it's my turn.  To be honest it may not be undeserved and it's a good reminder to stay focused on what matters.

These are the days when I say to myself...all I want to do is go home, crash in front of the T.V. and eat some ice cream.  Sounds good right?  NOPE.  Well, it's good momentarily until I wake up the next day feeling like a bloated moose trying to swim the Puget Sound.  Not a pretty picture.

Tonight, I felt like running home and hiding but instead I went to the gym knowing that the WOD would kill me.  It was like the lamb running to the slaughter house, kill me!  kill me!  Too graphic?  Maybe, but accurate.  My performance sucked!  I can tell you that for one hour I bonded with fellow Crossfitters that worked their butts off throughout the workout.  For one hour I was able to forget my drama.

No therapy could work so much magic in such little time.

Just one of the many things I love about Crossfit and the Crossfit Community.  What do you love about Crossfit?  If you don't Crossfit, what do you do to lift yourself up out of the doldrums?  

My nerdy family works pretty well too!

And it is ALL about the Beef...

So I LOVE to cook, but during the week I (really my Mom) tend to keep meals easy.  The weekends are the time to go all out and get creative!  Ongoing there will be one post on the weekend devoted to a good meal.  Well, you can be the judge of that.

Today's post was not cooked by me, but it was pretty fricking amazing, so I had to share it with you all.  Last night I had the pleasure of having this wonderful piece of steak cooked for me and it hit the spot after a hike up Mt Si.

Paleo people have no fear: substitute salt, pepper, olive oil, tamari, 4 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2 cup diced onion for the Stubbs Beef Marinade.  The chipotle peppers really make this steak.

3/4 bottle of Stubbs Beef Marinade
2-3 Tablespoons of liquid smoke
3 or 4 Chipotle Peppers (use dried peppers, not the ones in Adobo sauce)
Juice from 2 lemons

Combine in one gallon Ziplock bag along with 4 Ribeyes and leave on counter from morning till dinner time.  Perfectly safe.Turn several times throughout the day to make sure the marinade gets evenly distributed.

Grill to desired doneness...medium rare if you really like beef.

Like a schmuck I did not take a picture of this awesome piece of meat, but here's a view from the top of Si.  Happy Eating folks!!!

TGIF...now what to do with those pesky kids...

I hear it all the time...my kids watch too much tv, play too many video games, and never play outside.  Life is busy, so how can we keep our kids active?

Laura and I were talking yesterday morning about kids and fitness (Crossfit specifically). I thought it was really cool that she was thinking about installing pull up bars and other equipment in the garage for her kids.  The brain kept spinning and here I am writing about kids and getting out and playing.

On average, I'm in the gym 6 days a week.  I take Maya with me about half of that time and she plays and runs around with the other kids.  Sometimes she swings on the rings and does push ups, but the cool thing is she equates working out and going the gym as fun.  It's a big playground to her.

Murdock on the other hand is a pre teen.  Most afternoons he's stuck in the house or at the library doing homework.  Here is where the challenge lies.  And as a male preteen you can guess what his #1 favorite activity is:  Video Games.  He goes to the gym with me maybe one day a week to workout.   Although I will say that I'm thrilled that both Gary and Murdock like to take the air soft guns out into the woods.

So where do we start?
1.  Whatever the activity is, MAKE IT FUN
2.  Don't worry about a specific time limit
3.  Keep it simple, you don't have to go on an all day family hike

Quick Ideas (all of these can be done in 15 minutes before bedtime or in the morning for those early folks like me)
1.  Gymnastic Practice - sometimes Maya, Murdock, Gary and I will practice forward rolls, handstands, cartwheels, & headstands in the living room.  Great fun!
2.  Take any basic movement and do 50-100 reps for time.  Maya always counts in 10's, but the boys and I will race each other and it's quite an accomplishment for the kids to see that they can finish all 100 reps.
3.  Nature walk after dinner - we live on a green belt and will often take a quick 15 minute walk after dinner.  It gets the kids out of the house and they naturally start talking about their day because there's no distractions.  This is one of my favorites.
4.  Short runs - Short 400M, 1/2 mile, and 1 mile runs are great goal builders for kids.  You can time them and show them their improvements over a month or so.  It's a great confidence builder.  The Seattle Kids Marathon is a great example of kids running short distances for a long term goal.  http://www.seattlemarathon.org/kids/eventinfo.htm

As always, share your ideas!  Have a GREAT weekend!!  I'll be trying the coconut water tonight.

I LOVE to cook...

Cooking is a passion, but then the weekdays come and SMACK me in the face.  Wake up early, drive the kids to school, go to work, go to the gym, coach a class, go home, eat a quick meal, go to bed.  Wait...stop...where did the time go?  What did I eat all day long?  Did I go through the drive thru to save some precious time?  HELL NO!  Sorry guys, I haven't been through a non coffee drive thru in years.

So what do you do?  We're all busy.  Eating right during the week requires some planning, and if you don't want people eating your lunch out of the fridge at work, maybe some extra equipment.  

What do you need?

1.  A plan.  This may seem daunting, but every Saturday my Mom and I plan our dinners with the kids for the upcoming week.  Shopping on Sundays become easier and the kids are part of the planning process.  No.."MOM I don't want to eat that" in our house.  Based on the dinner plan I know which days I'll have left overs for lunch or breakfast and which days I'm going to need a back up.  I suggest finding some go to meals that are quick to assemble.  

2.  Tupperware & Zip Lock Bags

3.  Two bags, one insulated for cold items & one bag for non refrigerated items.

4.  Ice packs (if you don't have a fridge or if you don't want your lunch eaten by a coworker.)

Below is an example.  This is a two workout a day example of food.  Breakfast is chicken sausage, avocado, and an orange.  The coconut milk in the container on the far right is for my Americano.  Lunch is a tower of broccoli, turkey deli meat, and hidden in the back are grape tomatoes.  Snack time:  Nuts and an Apple.  

The bag on the left is my insulated cooler bag and the bag on the right is for the apple, nuts, orange, & avocado.

Share your quick meal and preparation ideas.  Saturday is a REAL cooking/recipe post.  :)