After a brilliant dinner with Rob last night, we slept in AGAIN! So, I went to the gym after work. Funny how much the crowd had thinned out since Monday, there were only 2 other people in there!
After a warm up, I did:
Tabata squats, then
12-9-6 reps of 60kg clean&jerk, L-pullup, 10kg weighted deep dip
The Tabata squats went better than expected - I managed 18 reps in each of the 8 sets. My legs were jelly after so I had a little shake-out before the double-up. The 12-9-6 was a hybrid of today's main site WOD, but subbing muscle ups. It took me 12:16.
I found the C&J very hard. I think that's too heavy for me as I had to split all of the sets into a max of 3 or 4 reps at a time. I also don't think I was squatting low enough to catch the bar. Mental note to work on C&J! L-pullups hurt my abs more than my arms and the dips were hard but manageable.
Short sesh, but a toughie. Annabel has cooked up a storm for the post-workout meal!
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
3RM
Slept in today so only had time for a very quick spin in the gym. I really wanted Annabel to try out the new Force USA resistance band I bought for her, to help her do assisted pullups. After trying a few different method of securing it, she seemed to get the hang of it. Proper pullups, here she comes!
Even though I wasn't feeling that strong, I wanted to use the time to establish my 3 rep max for bench press and deadlift (to compare to Min & Shauny in Sydney). After a bit of warmup, I had a crack at the deadlifts - I started on 110kg, then went to 120kg. That was about the limit of my form and strength, so I'll call 120kg (the 20kg bar plus 100kg in plates) my 3 rep max. Bench press was a bit more difficult as my chest was still hurting from Monday's dips. I started on 90kg (20kg bar plus 70kg) and JUST got 3 reps out. I tried to do a second set and failed almost straight away. Annabel had to help as spotter!
So, my personally-assessed 3 rep max for deadlift is 120kg and bench is 90kg. Better than 6 months ago!
Even though I wasn't feeling that strong, I wanted to use the time to establish my 3 rep max for bench press and deadlift (to compare to Min & Shauny in Sydney). After a bit of warmup, I had a crack at the deadlifts - I started on 110kg, then went to 120kg. That was about the limit of my form and strength, so I'll call 120kg (the 20kg bar plus 100kg in plates) my 3 rep max. Bench press was a bit more difficult as my chest was still hurting from Monday's dips. I started on 90kg (20kg bar plus 70kg) and JUST got 3 reps out. I tried to do a second set and failed almost straight away. Annabel had to help as spotter!
So, my personally-assessed 3 rep max for deadlift is 120kg and bench is 90kg. Better than 6 months ago!
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
8 x 800m
This morning I did the 8 x 800m again. I did this session a few weeks ago, on the 9th of July, and wanted to see how I was going against that benchmark. I figure that since I'm training on my own, I need to do some interval sessions on a "known" course to see how I am going. The Suunto is good for distance / pace, but nothing compares to hitting 'start' at one known landmark and 'stop' at another. This session is also very convenient - the 1.7km to get there is a great warmup, the 800m course is not busy and it is very scenic along the river and under the bridge.
I felt very sluggish in the warmup, but I was wearing my 'race' shoes (the lighter, less forgiving black Mizunos) so was hoping to at least match my previous times. My splits were:
2:40 - avg 161bpm - 810m - 3:18 min/km
2:35 - avg 165bpm - 820m - 3:10
2:30 - avg 167bpm - 810m - 3:06
2:29 - avg 169bpm - 780m - 3:12
2:31 - avg 168bpm - 800m - 3:09
2:30 - avg 165bpm - 790m - 3:10
2:31 - avg 169bpm - 790m - 3:11
2:28 - avg 169bpm - 790m - 3:08
Session total of 10.8km in 50:23. The average pace on each rep was ever so slightly quicker than last time (2:31 versus 2:33). Heart rates were a bit higher than last time though, and my fastest rep last time was 1 second quicker than the fastest rep this time. It's not exactly the most scientific analysis ever (just look at the variance in the distances, which are from the same point-to-point), but I'll take the average pace as a good indication that I'm not going backwards!!
I felt very sluggish in the warmup, but I was wearing my 'race' shoes (the lighter, less forgiving black Mizunos) so was hoping to at least match my previous times. My splits were:
2:40 - avg 161bpm - 810m - 3:18 min/km
2:35 - avg 165bpm - 820m - 3:10
2:30 - avg 167bpm - 810m - 3:06
2:29 - avg 169bpm - 780m - 3:12
2:31 - avg 168bpm - 800m - 3:09
2:30 - avg 165bpm - 790m - 3:10
2:31 - avg 169bpm - 790m - 3:11
2:28 - avg 169bpm - 790m - 3:08
Session total of 10.8km in 50:23. The average pace on each rep was ever so slightly quicker than last time (2:31 versus 2:33). Heart rates were a bit higher than last time though, and my fastest rep last time was 1 second quicker than the fastest rep this time. It's not exactly the most scientific analysis ever (just look at the variance in the distances, which are from the same point-to-point), but I'll take the average pace as a good indication that I'm not going backwards!!
Monday, 25 July 2011
5 rounds in a zoo
We slept in this morning after watching Cadel Evans make Australian sporting history. What a legend. Watching him come back again and again, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on the last stage is seriously inspiring stuff. He may have the biceps of a 10 year old girl but he's got the heart of a lion and deserves all the credit he gets!
After a fairly busy day at work, I hit the apartment gym for a quick WOD before dinner. It was an absolute zoo down there. Note to self to avoid the gym after work if at all possible!!!! After finding my square metre of space to do my WOD, and doing a quick warmup in the corner, I was able to observe a very interesting study in gym dynamics. It occurred to me that the gym at my apartment block may be the ultimate "typical" Globo style gym that Crossfit.com talks about. There were the people power walking on the treadmills, the bored-and-unfit-looking personal trainer supervising some big guy doing the worst crunches I've ever seen, even the two little blokes in Vanilla Ice pants trying not to snap their arms off pressing 20kg dumbells. Hilarious.
My session involved 5 rounds for time of 15 reps of each of the following:
- 35kg thrusters
- Pullups
- Deep dips
- Toes to bar
It took me 26:09 with an average HR of 153bpm. Very tough WOD - the first set was pretty quick but I had to slow down as the session went on, and by the end I had that feeling where you're so stuffed you can't look upwards without getting a piercing headache. A good feeling. I think the other people in the gym thought I was mad, but all I was thinking about was the amazing roast lamb Annabel had waiting for me upstairs. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Perfectly cooked lamb, broccoli, sweet potato, tomato and onion. Paleo (arguably except for the kumera) and very tasty.
After a fairly busy day at work, I hit the apartment gym for a quick WOD before dinner. It was an absolute zoo down there. Note to self to avoid the gym after work if at all possible!!!! After finding my square metre of space to do my WOD, and doing a quick warmup in the corner, I was able to observe a very interesting study in gym dynamics. It occurred to me that the gym at my apartment block may be the ultimate "typical" Globo style gym that Crossfit.com talks about. There were the people power walking on the treadmills, the bored-and-unfit-looking personal trainer supervising some big guy doing the worst crunches I've ever seen, even the two little blokes in Vanilla Ice pants trying not to snap their arms off pressing 20kg dumbells. Hilarious.
My session involved 5 rounds for time of 15 reps of each of the following:
- 35kg thrusters
- Pullups
- Deep dips
- Toes to bar
It took me 26:09 with an average HR of 153bpm. Very tough WOD - the first set was pretty quick but I had to slow down as the session went on, and by the end I had that feeling where you're so stuffed you can't look upwards without getting a piercing headache. A good feeling. I think the other people in the gym thought I was mad, but all I was thinking about was the amazing roast lamb Annabel had waiting for me upstairs. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Perfectly cooked lamb, broccoli, sweet potato, tomato and onion. Paleo (arguably except for the kumera) and very tasty.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Thank you Google maps
With a very sore head this morning, I set out on a run to fetch the car from St Lucia golf course, where I left it at the party last night. I decided to go via Mt Coot-tha, partly to add a few more miles, and partly because I wanted to see the mountain where, for some reason, all the TV networks decided to base themselves in Brissy!
It took a few kilometres to get rid of the headache, but once I hit the river my head cleared - it was a perfect Queensland day and a great one for running. Unfortunately, the path along the river was closed for a long section that I needed to run along, so I had to take some main roads, freeways and back streets to get to Mt Coot-tha. The "Mt" is a bit misleading - it's more of a long hill. Running up it was like a few slightly less steep Darley Roads strung together. At the top, I decided to change my route and take some trails through the forest to the gold course. Unfortunately, I got lost and spent the next few clicks running around trails, all of which looked identical, trying to get back to the main path! At that point, the first of many iPhone consultations occurred - without Google maps, I may still be out there.
All up, 17.5km in 1:26. Not fast, but the legs felt great and my head is now clear. And now? I'm off to enjoy this absolutely glorious day!
A few pics:
It took a few kilometres to get rid of the headache, but once I hit the river my head cleared - it was a perfect Queensland day and a great one for running. Unfortunately, the path along the river was closed for a long section that I needed to run along, so I had to take some main roads, freeways and back streets to get to Mt Coot-tha. The "Mt" is a bit misleading - it's more of a long hill. Running up it was like a few slightly less steep Darley Roads strung together. At the top, I decided to change my route and take some trails through the forest to the gold course. Unfortunately, I got lost and spent the next few clicks running around trails, all of which looked identical, trying to get back to the main path! At that point, the first of many iPhone consultations occurred - without Google maps, I may still be out there.
All up, 17.5km in 1:26. Not fast, but the legs felt great and my head is now clear. And now? I'm off to enjoy this absolutely glorious day!
A few pics:
The running / cycle route along the river - unfortunately some of it is closed, but it's perfect for running
The view from Mt Coot-tha
The "Lookout Trail" going down from Mt Coot-tha to Indooroopilly
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Fire alarm
After a rest day yesterday, a fantastic Turkish dinner last night (with Sara Lee Ultra Choc ice cream!!), our beauty sleep was disturbed at 4:45am by the fire alarm. Apparently there was smoke detected on the floor below us, so the entire building was evacuated. Walking down 21 flights of stairs, waiting around for 20mins, then walking back up to avoid waiting for the lift is not the best way to ensure an undisturbed sleep cycle! We both woke up again at 9am.
This morning's workout was a bit disjointed:
Warmup of mobility (with the broomstick) and skipping (which I'm still crap at). Then 3 rounds of 10 hands-off pullups. i.e. Pullups where you kip and explode so your hands release from the bar, then catch the bar and lower down. I'm trying to learn how to do a clapping pullup, so this is part of the progression. Unfortunately my short caught on the dip bars in the last set and I ripped the left hand side - that's the second pair of shorts in a week!!
The main WOD was a 20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds and reps as possible) of:
- 5 x push press (I used 35kg, Annabel about 10kg)
- 7 x hang power cleans
- 9 x sumo deadlift high pull
The idea is that you use the same bar for each exercise and have as little rest as possible.
THEN, 4 x 5-6 reps max bench press (I did 80kg, Annabel 25kg). THEN, 3 x 10 toes to bar.
For the AMRAP, I got 12 rounds plus 5 PP and 3 cleans. Annabel did about 8 rounds but was going slow because she wanted to concentrate on form and watch out for her back (and it's her first 20min AMRAP!). I reckon this is one of the toughest Crossfit workouts to do - it's a full-body killer and doesn't allow you to rest. I used gloves but the forearms were still hurting.
It's a cracking day in Brissy so we're off to run a few errands and hit the farmer's markets. Then, the EY Brisvegas ball tonight - should be fun!
This morning's workout was a bit disjointed:
Warmup of mobility (with the broomstick) and skipping (which I'm still crap at). Then 3 rounds of 10 hands-off pullups. i.e. Pullups where you kip and explode so your hands release from the bar, then catch the bar and lower down. I'm trying to learn how to do a clapping pullup, so this is part of the progression. Unfortunately my short caught on the dip bars in the last set and I ripped the left hand side - that's the second pair of shorts in a week!!
The main WOD was a 20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds and reps as possible) of:
- 5 x push press (I used 35kg, Annabel about 10kg)
- 7 x hang power cleans
- 9 x sumo deadlift high pull
The idea is that you use the same bar for each exercise and have as little rest as possible.
THEN, 4 x 5-6 reps max bench press (I did 80kg, Annabel 25kg). THEN, 3 x 10 toes to bar.
For the AMRAP, I got 12 rounds plus 5 PP and 3 cleans. Annabel did about 8 rounds but was going slow because she wanted to concentrate on form and watch out for her back (and it's her first 20min AMRAP!). I reckon this is one of the toughest Crossfit workouts to do - it's a full-body killer and doesn't allow you to rest. I used gloves but the forearms were still hurting.
It's a cracking day in Brissy so we're off to run a few errands and hit the farmer's markets. Then, the EY Brisvegas ball tonight - should be fun!
Thursday, 21 July 2011
The grand piano drops ...
I couldn't decide what sort of run to do this morning, so just went out for a firm 14km along the river. From the start, I didn't feel great - the bounce in my step was more like a thud and whenever I leaned forward to accelerate, my legs had a serious delay before responding! I've had this sort of day many times before, when lack of rest and multiple consecutive days of training catch up with me. Combined with consistent 11 hour workdays, the body can only cope with so much. I find the best way to deal with it is either to roll over and stay in bed, or to do the session as best I can, but not kick myself too hard if I don't meet the time/pace/distance/weight I wanted to do.
Given how I felt, I decided to just try to stick to a consistent pace of around 3:55min/km, which I normally should be able to do without too much trouble. After a bit of a warmup, I got to the pace and was pretty happy keeping it there on the way out. I turned at 7km, which was fortunately located at the middle, rather than the top, of a little hill (my legs didn't really want to think about hills this morning).
I kept the pace up, past other runners, cyclists, jogging groups and rowers next to me on the river. Every time I looked at my watch, the pace was 3:55 or 3:56 - I was happy. Then at 12km, just at the start of the Botanic Gardens, the wheels fell off. In the space of about 5 seconds, my legs went to lead, I got a stitch and my breathing became laboured, my running form was all over the place, and I was struggling to run in a straight line, let alone keep pace! The fabled grand piano had dropped in a big way.
The rational thoughts going through my mind were - "don't worry, you were feeling crap anyway" and "use this opportunity to push through, like you would want to in a race". I pushed on, at a much slower pace, for the next 1km, before stopping at my "start/stop point" and jogging very slowly home. On the plus side, breakfast tasted amazing and at least I know that my shite session for the week is out of the way (fingers crossed)!
Total of 14k in 56:46 with an average pace of 4:05 (includes warmup/warmdown and the grand piano section), average heart rate of 169bpm and peak of 186bpm.
Given how I felt, I decided to just try to stick to a consistent pace of around 3:55min/km, which I normally should be able to do without too much trouble. After a bit of a warmup, I got to the pace and was pretty happy keeping it there on the way out. I turned at 7km, which was fortunately located at the middle, rather than the top, of a little hill (my legs didn't really want to think about hills this morning).
I kept the pace up, past other runners, cyclists, jogging groups and rowers next to me on the river. Every time I looked at my watch, the pace was 3:55 or 3:56 - I was happy. Then at 12km, just at the start of the Botanic Gardens, the wheels fell off. In the space of about 5 seconds, my legs went to lead, I got a stitch and my breathing became laboured, my running form was all over the place, and I was struggling to run in a straight line, let alone keep pace! The fabled grand piano had dropped in a big way.
The rational thoughts going through my mind were - "don't worry, you were feeling crap anyway" and "use this opportunity to push through, like you would want to in a race". I pushed on, at a much slower pace, for the next 1km, before stopping at my "start/stop point" and jogging very slowly home. On the plus side, breakfast tasted amazing and at least I know that my shite session for the week is out of the way (fingers crossed)!
Total of 14k in 56:46 with an average pace of 4:05 (includes warmup/warmdown and the grand piano section), average heart rate of 169bpm and peak of 186bpm.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Barbara
I'm not sure what we would do if the apartment was further from the office, but it's getting increasingly hard to get both Annabel and I up for 6am training! We were both a bit tired this morning - Annabel was still sore from Monday, and I think I was a bit drained from a long work day yesterday. Regardless, we did one of the original benchmark girls - Barbara.
5 rounds, each for time, of:
20 pullups (I did kipping, Annabel did jumping with close grip)
30 pushups (I did strict chest-to-floor, Annabel was on her knees)
40 situps (I did full ROM with hands touching behind my head and to my toes, Annabel did crunches)
50 squats
Rest exactly 3mins between each round.
It took me a total of 34:04 with an average heart rate of 136bpm. I did crunches the first round, so it was quicker, and I rested for 3:40 between the first and second rounds (and 3:07 between rounds 2 &3) waiting for Annabel to finish her pullups. My round times were 3:42, 4:07, 4:33, 4:35, 4:14.
I managed to get all the pullups out in rounds of 20 reps, but had to split the last two rounds of pushups. I was concentrating on getting full ROM on the squats but still managed to be quite quick - my squats have improved remarkably since last year!
I was stoked with Annabel - her jumping pullups were really good and she got through all of them. Next step - real pullups! She was pretty fatigued throughout so couldn't get as explosive as she probably should have in this WOD. I did, and by the end of the WOD, I was absolutely wrecked - I had to lie down for about 5 mins before making breakfast!!!
5 rounds, each for time, of:
20 pullups (I did kipping, Annabel did jumping with close grip)
30 pushups (I did strict chest-to-floor, Annabel was on her knees)
40 situps (I did full ROM with hands touching behind my head and to my toes, Annabel did crunches)
50 squats
Rest exactly 3mins between each round.
It took me a total of 34:04 with an average heart rate of 136bpm. I did crunches the first round, so it was quicker, and I rested for 3:40 between the first and second rounds (and 3:07 between rounds 2 &3) waiting for Annabel to finish her pullups. My round times were 3:42, 4:07, 4:33, 4:35, 4:14.
I managed to get all the pullups out in rounds of 20 reps, but had to split the last two rounds of pushups. I was concentrating on getting full ROM on the squats but still managed to be quite quick - my squats have improved remarkably since last year!
I was stoked with Annabel - her jumping pullups were really good and she got through all of them. Next step - real pullups! She was pretty fatigued throughout so couldn't get as explosive as she probably should have in this WOD. I did, and by the end of the WOD, I was absolutely wrecked - I had to lie down for about 5 mins before making breakfast!!!
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Progressive tempo
Doing HuRTs sessions without the squad is difficult. Not because it's physically harder, but because forcing yourself to hit the paces is mentally tough! I did the progressive tempo this morning - 45mins starting at marathon pace and dropping by 10sec/km every 10mins and again for the last 5mins. It's designed to teach you to negative-split a course, so you turn at 23:30 and try to get back to the starting point. I did so today, but I think I could have / should have gone harder, especially in the last 2 tempo legs. Not including a 700m warm up and warm down, my splits were:
10:00min - 2.41km - avg 155bpm - pace 4:09min/km
10:00min - 2.51km - avg 167bpm - pace 3:59
10:00min - 2.62km - avg 172bpm - pace 3:49
10:00min - 2.68km - avg 176bpm - pace 3:44
4:52min - 1.35km - avg 177bpm - pace 3:36
Total for the progressive tempo was 11.6km in 44:52 (average pace of 3:52min/km). I'm happy with my pacing for the first 30mins, but really should have picked it up more in the last 15min. That said, doing a 13km session with warm up and warm down in 51:44 is not bad - it's quicker than my City2Surf PB!
On the scenery side - I got all the way past Southbank down to Davies Park (where the markets are on Saturdays). It's actually a really good running route and, if you can dodge the cyclists, is a great place to train. There were quite a few runners out and about, but the closest thing to a HuRTs runner that I saw was a triathlete looking lady who was absolutely moving in the opposite direction to me. It seems the more serious runners and cyclists train further upstream than Southbank.
The ankle was aching a little yesterday but I haven't had a chance to ice it this morning. Here's hoping it doesn't flare up and I can actually run tomorrow / Thursday.
10:00min - 2.41km - avg 155bpm - pace 4:09min/km
10:00min - 2.51km - avg 167bpm - pace 3:59
10:00min - 2.62km - avg 172bpm - pace 3:49
10:00min - 2.68km - avg 176bpm - pace 3:44
4:52min - 1.35km - avg 177bpm - pace 3:36
Total for the progressive tempo was 11.6km in 44:52 (average pace of 3:52min/km). I'm happy with my pacing for the first 30mins, but really should have picked it up more in the last 15min. That said, doing a 13km session with warm up and warm down in 51:44 is not bad - it's quicker than my City2Surf PB!
On the scenery side - I got all the way past Southbank down to Davies Park (where the markets are on Saturdays). It's actually a really good running route and, if you can dodge the cyclists, is a great place to train. There were quite a few runners out and about, but the closest thing to a HuRTs runner that I saw was a triathlete looking lady who was absolutely moving in the opposite direction to me. It seems the more serious runners and cyclists train further upstream than Southbank.
The ankle was aching a little yesterday but I haven't had a chance to ice it this morning. Here's hoping it doesn't flare up and I can actually run tomorrow / Thursday.
Monday, 18 July 2011
5 rounds for time
We had a little sleep-in this morning, but sprung out of bed at 6:15 for a WOD. I've had to start making WODs up to a) use the equipment available and b) take into account Annabel's muscle pain and c) ensure the WODs are scaleable so that Annabel can do them around the same time as me!
This morning we did 5 rounds for time of:
Lunges, holding a plate above your head (Jamie: 20kg, Annabel: 5kg) - 10 reps each leg
Dumbell ground to overhead (Jamie: 17.5kg, Annabel 7.5kg and 5kg) - 10 reps each arm
Pushups (Jamie: 15 x incline pushups off bench, Annabel: max 'proper' pushups trying for at least 5)
It took me 15:17 (Annabel about the same) and got the heart rate up (average 153bpm, max 168bpm). We finished off with Shauny's 7minute ab workout (alt crunches, scissors, toe touches, lateral scissors, penguins, floor wipers, russians, jacknifes, plank LHS, plank RHS, straight plank, mountain climbers, straight plank, then 10 x clapping pushups - switch every 30seconds).
A good, quick set for a beautiful Monday morning!
This morning we did 5 rounds for time of:
Lunges, holding a plate above your head (Jamie: 20kg, Annabel: 5kg) - 10 reps each leg
Dumbell ground to overhead (Jamie: 17.5kg, Annabel 7.5kg and 5kg) - 10 reps each arm
Pushups (Jamie: 15 x incline pushups off bench, Annabel: max 'proper' pushups trying for at least 5)
It took me 15:17 (Annabel about the same) and got the heart rate up (average 153bpm, max 168bpm). We finished off with Shauny's 7minute ab workout (alt crunches, scissors, toe touches, lateral scissors, penguins, floor wipers, russians, jacknifes, plank LHS, plank RHS, straight plank, mountain climbers, straight plank, then 10 x clapping pushups - switch every 30seconds).
A good, quick set for a beautiful Monday morning!
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Quick deadlift sesh
Just a quick one this arvo after a lot of walking around art galleries and markets during the day. I did a recent main site WOD, but with deadlifts (which I need to improve) instead of front squats. For weight:
1 rep - 10 reps - 1 rep - 20 reps - 1 rep - 30 reps
I did 115kg - 95 kg - 115kg - 75kg - 115kg - 55kg
115 is the most I've ever deadlifted, so I'm pretty happy, and I got the rest of the sets out in one hit (except for a quick pause during the 20).
I've been feeling pretty stiff the last few days, especially my shoulders so I did some rotations and overhead squat drills before the workout. I also did some laps in the pool an sat in the spa for a while after. I have to say, sitting in a spa, overlooking the Brisbane River a perfect evening is a pretty good way to recover from a WOD!
1 rep - 10 reps - 1 rep - 20 reps - 1 rep - 30 reps
I did 115kg - 95 kg - 115kg - 75kg - 115kg - 55kg
115 is the most I've ever deadlifted, so I'm pretty happy, and I got the rest of the sets out in one hit (except for a quick pause during the 20).
I've been feeling pretty stiff the last few days, especially my shoulders so I did some rotations and overhead squat drills before the workout. I also did some laps in the pool an sat in the spa for a while after. I have to say, sitting in a spa, overlooking the Brisbane River a perfect evening is a pretty good way to recover from a WOD!
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Upper body Saturday
Rested Friday and awoke Saturday to Annabel claiming being unable to move her legs due to Thursday's WOD! We therefore took a very easy jog to the park under the Story Bridge and back (about 4km) to warm up the legs. Both of us were still hurting a bit so when we got back to the gym I decided to do an upper body WOD as follows.
21-15-9 reps of:
- Chest to bar pullups (Annabel did incline pullups on the Smith Press)
- Ground-touch pushups (i.e. Lower yourself to the ground, releasing your hands at the bottom)
- Deep dips (Annabel did bench dips)
- Push press (I did 35kg, Annabel 15kg)
Followed by 3 sets x 15 reps of GHD situps.
The whole thing took quite a bit of time but the WOD itself was only around 10 mins (Annabel 9:40, Jamie 10:40). Annabel beat me again!!! A good, hard session. Now for chocolate brownies, yum yum!
21-15-9 reps of:
- Chest to bar pullups (Annabel did incline pullups on the Smith Press)
- Ground-touch pushups (i.e. Lower yourself to the ground, releasing your hands at the bottom)
- Deep dips (Annabel did bench dips)
- Push press (I did 35kg, Annabel 15kg)
Followed by 3 sets x 15 reps of GHD situps.
The whole thing took quite a bit of time but the WOD itself was only around 10 mins (Annabel 9:40, Jamie 10:40). Annabel beat me again!!! A good, hard session. Now for chocolate brownies, yum yum!
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Morrison
I took Annabel down to the apartment gym for her first Crossfit session set by Jamie. We did 4 rounds of 6 bench press (I did 80kg, Annabel 25kg), then Morrison:
50-40-30-20-10 reps of
- Wall ball (we did thrusters, me with 25kg bar, Annabel with 5kg plate)
- Box jumps (we did tuck jumps as the gym doesn't have a box)
- Kettlbell swings (I used a 20kg plate, Annabel used 5kg plate)
It's a tough WOD - and our subs were pretty much as hard as RXd (thrusters were harder than WB but tuck jumps are faster than box jumps). Annabel was great - she gave it everything and her form was good. I found the thrusters tough, and was trying to get full range of motion with every rep. My time was 24:26 and Annabel's 25:21. We were both stuffed at the end, with Annabel struggling to walk down stairs an hour later!
I think Annabel summed it up best: "that was much tougher than the Crossfit gym". Settled? I think so.
50-40-30-20-10 reps of
- Wall ball (we did thrusters, me with 25kg bar, Annabel with 5kg plate)
- Box jumps (we did tuck jumps as the gym doesn't have a box)
- Kettlbell swings (I used a 20kg plate, Annabel used 5kg plate)
It's a tough WOD - and our subs were pretty much as hard as RXd (thrusters were harder than WB but tuck jumps are faster than box jumps). Annabel was great - she gave it everything and her form was good. I found the thrusters tough, and was trying to get full range of motion with every rep. My time was 24:26 and Annabel's 25:21. We were both stuffed at the end, with Annabel struggling to walk down stairs an hour later!
I think Annabel summed it up best: "that was much tougher than the Crossfit gym". Settled? I think so.
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Annabel's first Crossfit
Yesterday we went to the Crossfit gym for our first group session. The WOD was 5 rounds for time of:
10 x wall climbs (i.e. start lying on your stomach, feet against the wall, then climb up the wall to a handstand)
10 x toes to bar
20 x box jump with full hip extension on a 24" box
The way the gym works, the 20 odd people in the class pair up, with one person doing the WOD at a time, with the other person counting your reps. This meant that after a post warm-up warm-up (i.e. the group warm up after individual warm-ups), a demonstration of each exercise, explanation of scaling options, meeting your partner, having a coffee, chatting about the day's news, etc. etc., we only got to the WOD at 6:25am. This left only about 30mins for each pair to do the WOD. The trainers therefore "decided" to make it only 3 rounds, with the times being between 11mins and 15mins. I subsequently discovered that this is how they seem to do all their WODs. A bit disappointing to be honest. That's not to say the WOD wasn't tough - the 3rd round of wall climbs almost killed me! But then, I am terrible at handstands. Apparently I'm better than anyone in their gym at TTB though. And apparently Annabel is better at everything - she got the fastest time in the gym! (She did scale every exercise - "walk outs" instead of climbs, "knee raises" instead of TTB and 18" box).
The people were nice, although there were heaps of them, making the gym feel a bit squashed. The trainers seemed to know what they were doing, but with the vast number of people, I think they only actually saw one rep of each individual! We're both hurting today - my shoulders and Annabel's abs - but we're still undecided as to whether we go back to the gym, or whether we just do our own workouts. We may give it one more try.
My time for 3 rounds as RXd was 14:30. About 2mins slower than my partner, who was the fastest in the gym, but then hardly any of the guys did as RXd.
This morning I went for a great tempo run. Did 7.5km, starting at around 4:30min/km, getting to about 3:55s for most of the run, and getting down to about 3:10 for the last 500m-1000m. I finished off with 6 sprints up this mean hill near our apartment. Total of 9.5km in 40:37. My right ankle is now sore - bugger.
I'm loving the iPod for running, by the way. Favourite song to make me want to run fast at the moment is Banquet by Bloc Party - an oldie but a goodie.
10 x wall climbs (i.e. start lying on your stomach, feet against the wall, then climb up the wall to a handstand)
10 x toes to bar
20 x box jump with full hip extension on a 24" box
The way the gym works, the 20 odd people in the class pair up, with one person doing the WOD at a time, with the other person counting your reps. This meant that after a post warm-up warm-up (i.e. the group warm up after individual warm-ups), a demonstration of each exercise, explanation of scaling options, meeting your partner, having a coffee, chatting about the day's news, etc. etc., we only got to the WOD at 6:25am. This left only about 30mins for each pair to do the WOD. The trainers therefore "decided" to make it only 3 rounds, with the times being between 11mins and 15mins. I subsequently discovered that this is how they seem to do all their WODs. A bit disappointing to be honest. That's not to say the WOD wasn't tough - the 3rd round of wall climbs almost killed me! But then, I am terrible at handstands. Apparently I'm better than anyone in their gym at TTB though. And apparently Annabel is better at everything - she got the fastest time in the gym! (She did scale every exercise - "walk outs" instead of climbs, "knee raises" instead of TTB and 18" box).
The people were nice, although there were heaps of them, making the gym feel a bit squashed. The trainers seemed to know what they were doing, but with the vast number of people, I think they only actually saw one rep of each individual! We're both hurting today - my shoulders and Annabel's abs - but we're still undecided as to whether we go back to the gym, or whether we just do our own workouts. We may give it one more try.
My time for 3 rounds as RXd was 14:30. About 2mins slower than my partner, who was the fastest in the gym, but then hardly any of the guys did as RXd.
This morning I went for a great tempo run. Did 7.5km, starting at around 4:30min/km, getting to about 3:55s for most of the run, and getting down to about 3:10 for the last 500m-1000m. I finished off with 6 sprints up this mean hill near our apartment. Total of 9.5km in 40:37. My right ankle is now sore - bugger.
I'm loving the iPod for running, by the way. Favourite song to make me want to run fast at the moment is Banquet by Bloc Party - an oldie but a goodie.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Mainsite WOD
The alarm went off at 5:30am and I awoke to a string of excuses from Annabel as to why going to the Crossfit gym this morning would be a bad idea. Apparently the first taste of Crossfit on Saturday has left her in pain!! I left her sleeping whilst I went downstairs to try out the apartment gym. I was impressed - it wasn't too busy, and the only guys using the chinup station and weights seemed friendly enough. After a quick warmup, I did yesterday's main site WOD.
Five rounds for time of:
400m run (I did 400m C2 row)
20 deadlift 65kg
20 pushups
10 deadlift 65kg
10 pushups
I got 28:59. It was a pretty tough WOD - mainly due to the deadlifts (total of 150 reps!!!). The C2 rower slowed me down as there seems to be something wrong with the settings and the resistance wasn't as much as usual, meaning that you couldn't go as fast. Oh well, it was the "recovery" station anyway. After the last set of pushups, I collapsed in a heap and some old lady commented about how hard my workout looked!! Classic.
Five rounds for time of:
400m run (I did 400m C2 row)
20 deadlift 65kg
20 pushups
10 deadlift 65kg
10 pushups
I got 28:59. It was a pretty tough WOD - mainly due to the deadlifts (total of 150 reps!!!). The C2 rower slowed me down as there seems to be something wrong with the settings and the resistance wasn't as much as usual, meaning that you couldn't go as fast. Oh well, it was the "recovery" station anyway. After the last set of pushups, I collapsed in a heap and some old lady commented about how hard my workout looked!! Classic.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Brisvegas
Part of being a corporate athlete is that you sometimes have to deal with corporate challenges that threaten to disrupt your routine. Personally, I've just been transferred to Brisbane for 2-3 months! Fortunately Brisbane has a much more bearable winter than Sydney, and my company has put me up in a very comfy pad on the river. Wednesday involved a full day of driving with an even fuller car, and needless to say I was stuffed by the end of the day. On Thursday morning before work, I decided to do a bit of exploring around Brisvegas so went for a run. Did about 8km, from my apartment, around the CBD through the Botanic Gardens, across to Southbank and back. Easy jog and nice to stretch the legs.
On Friday I discovered that the culture in my team here is VERY different to Sydney. No-one seems to exercise at lunch, so my usual routine is out the window. I therefore rested on Friday. Fortunately, my office is only a 5 minute walk from home so morning training should be fine.
Annabel & I spent Saturday investigating training options. We tried out a promising Crossfit gym about a 5min drive away. Did some skills/technique with the head trainer, followed by a quick 10min AMRAP WOD (250m row, 7 x 12.5kg DB front squats, 14 Crossfit situps - I did 5 rounds, Annabel almost got 4 with 7.5kg DBs). We'll try that gym out again this week. The pros are that it's a fully-equipped gym with experienced trainers and people to train with. The cons are that its exy ($175 p month), the only sessions I could get to is 6am (i.e. not flexible) and apparently half the session is spent counting someone else's reps!! Ill try Monday and see what it's like. The other consideration is that the gym in our apartment block is actually pretty good (Smith press, chinup/dip station, a few free bars and full DB set).
Saturday arvo I did the HuRTs Thursday session. 8 x 800m with 2mins rest. I found a great place to run - directly across the river from our apartment, over the Story Bridge in the park underneath the bridge. It's about 1.8km away from home (good warm up/ warm down distance), and has a "track" of almost exactly 800m around. My reps were as follows:
2:46 - avg 160bpm - 800m - 3:28
2:35 - avg 158bpm - 780m - 3:19
2:32 - avg 161bpm - 800m - 3:10
2:31 - avg 164bpm - 790m - 3:11
2:32 - avg 165bpm - 800m - 3:11
2:32 - avg 160bpm - 800m - 3:10
2:30 - avg 166bpm - 800m - 3:09
2:27 - avg 166bpm - 800m - 3:05
I'm stoked because the reps were really consistent and I felt pretty fast by the end. Next time I'll have to start a bit quicker!! Total of 10.6km for the session with a slow warmup and warm down. Things in Brissy are looking up!
Sunday - drove to Noosa and spent the day on the beach. No training, but I did bump into Sam + family and Trent, Candice, Dev and co who were doing a winter training camp!
On Friday I discovered that the culture in my team here is VERY different to Sydney. No-one seems to exercise at lunch, so my usual routine is out the window. I therefore rested on Friday. Fortunately, my office is only a 5 minute walk from home so morning training should be fine.
Annabel & I spent Saturday investigating training options. We tried out a promising Crossfit gym about a 5min drive away. Did some skills/technique with the head trainer, followed by a quick 10min AMRAP WOD (250m row, 7 x 12.5kg DB front squats, 14 Crossfit situps - I did 5 rounds, Annabel almost got 4 with 7.5kg DBs). We'll try that gym out again this week. The pros are that it's a fully-equipped gym with experienced trainers and people to train with. The cons are that its exy ($175 p month), the only sessions I could get to is 6am (i.e. not flexible) and apparently half the session is spent counting someone else's reps!! Ill try Monday and see what it's like. The other consideration is that the gym in our apartment block is actually pretty good (Smith press, chinup/dip station, a few free bars and full DB set).
Saturday arvo I did the HuRTs Thursday session. 8 x 800m with 2mins rest. I found a great place to run - directly across the river from our apartment, over the Story Bridge in the park underneath the bridge. It's about 1.8km away from home (good warm up/ warm down distance), and has a "track" of almost exactly 800m around. My reps were as follows:
2:46 - avg 160bpm - 800m - 3:28
2:35 - avg 158bpm - 780m - 3:19
2:32 - avg 161bpm - 800m - 3:10
2:31 - avg 164bpm - 790m - 3:11
2:32 - avg 165bpm - 800m - 3:11
2:32 - avg 160bpm - 800m - 3:10
2:30 - avg 166bpm - 800m - 3:09
2:27 - avg 166bpm - 800m - 3:05
I'm stoked because the reps were really consistent and I felt pretty fast by the end. Next time I'll have to start a bit quicker!! Total of 10.6km for the session with a slow warmup and warm down. Things in Brissy are looking up!
Sunday - drove to Noosa and spent the day on the beach. No training, but I did bump into Sam + family and Trent, Candice, Dev and co who were doing a winter training camp!
The view from our apartment! (The running loop is basically around the water where you can see the base of the bridge and the wharf)
Annabel walking me to walk on the first day. Tough walk to work, huh?
The tall building in the back ground is home from 8:15am to 7pm
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
HuRTs fartlek
After some very frustrating news at work, I needed a bit of tension release so went down for the HuRTs fartlek. What an unbelievable day in Sydney today - perfect temperature for running, lots of people out and about and crystal clear skies. The only drawback was the wind, which felt like running into a brick wall at certain points (or being blown along at others!).
Not a bad turnout today given that a lot of the HuRTs guys did the Gold Coast mara on the weekend. The pace was pretty easy for the first half though. The format of the session is 1min on (10km pace) and 30s off (marathon pace) for 45mins. You run out for 22.5 mins then turn around and try to get back under 45mins. I started out with Ray, Jon F and a few others. The pace was pretty cruisy for the first 22mins - there wasn't much difference between the efforts and the floats, all being done at around 3:45 pace. After the turn though, it got a lot quicker. The efforts were at around 3:27 and the floats around 4:10. Pretty solid.
I ended up doing 11.6km which is not all that far (turned at the entrance to Walsh Bay), but got in at 44:15 which is well under the target, and the best I've ever done. Mike C reckoned we were being lazy! He was probably right. That said, I felt strong, and had a good 14km session. Finished off with an abs set with Shauny in the gym after. All in all a good way to release some work frustration!
Not a bad turnout today given that a lot of the HuRTs guys did the Gold Coast mara on the weekend. The pace was pretty easy for the first half though. The format of the session is 1min on (10km pace) and 30s off (marathon pace) for 45mins. You run out for 22.5 mins then turn around and try to get back under 45mins. I started out with Ray, Jon F and a few others. The pace was pretty cruisy for the first 22mins - there wasn't much difference between the efforts and the floats, all being done at around 3:45 pace. After the turn though, it got a lot quicker. The efforts were at around 3:27 and the floats around 4:10. Pretty solid.
I ended up doing 11.6km which is not all that far (turned at the entrance to Walsh Bay), but got in at 44:15 which is well under the target, and the best I've ever done. Mike C reckoned we were being lazy! He was probably right. That said, I felt strong, and had a good 14km session. Finished off with an abs set with Shauny in the gym after. All in all a good way to release some work frustration!
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Tough Bloke
On Friday, Shauny made the decision not to run the Tough Bloke Challenge this weekend and offered me his spot. So, at 6:30am this morning Annabel & I headed down to Appin to check it out. All I knew was that it was 6km of running with some military-style obstacles thrown in. I know now that it was basically just 35mins of awesome fun!
The Elite category started in waves of 3 people every minute from 9am. I set off at 9:05, with a crossfit-trainer lady and a track-runner guy with toothpick legs who looked like he COULD run. Ahead of us were 11 guys and another lady, all of whom looked like they took themselves pretty seriously and were wearing shirts with slogans like "I'm a personal trainer, I'm awesome" (or something to that effect). Turns out they were nowhere near as tough as they either looked or thought they were. I caught 6 of them by the first obstacle and only missed catching 2 of them by the finish. Essentially the Tough Bloke is a trail runner's race, but in order to effectively navigate the obstacles you need to be able to lift your own bodyweight. It therefore played pretty well into my combo of running and crossfit training.
The first obstacles involved hurdles (over one / under the next) and climbing over cargo nets and things. The monkey bars were also fun and I managed to gap everyone but the track-runner. I took him in the first of the tunnels and consolidated the lead in the next 2km running stretch, parts of which were uphill. I didn't mind the mud, although I was a bit concerned that my bloody hand (which had ripped open on the monkey bars after a blister formed wielding the sledghammer yesterday) would get infected. Ah well.
Then came my two least favourite obstacles; the water pipe and the balance beam. The water pipe because it was basically submerged and I had to hold my breath and duck my head to get through. I hadn't realised this going in and swallowed some water so was left coughing and spluttering 10m into a submerged pipe!! The balance beam was terrible - I fell off after about 30m (almost at the finish) and had to restart. I reckon I lost a 30s - 60s right there. I made up time on the wall and the remaining climbing / swing / flying fox obstacles. By that time I was neck and neck with some personal trainer bloke I had caught up to, so legged it for the last km to the final obstacle, "Hell's Gate". It was just a rope which you had to shimmy along while being cheered on by the crowd. It was awesome! My skins came in handy to protect the calves from rope-burn.
I ended up finishing in 34:24, the second fastest time of the day. The guy who beat me is a firefighter who worked a shift last night (although he assures me he got more sleep than the night before the Six Foot Track this year!). What a machine - full respect to him. Apparently there were 3 times faster than mine yesterday, but the track may have been muddier today. I don't care - I had a great time and am stoked with how I went. I even won some compression gear and supplements!
Photos to come.
The Elite category started in waves of 3 people every minute from 9am. I set off at 9:05, with a crossfit-trainer lady and a track-runner guy with toothpick legs who looked like he COULD run. Ahead of us were 11 guys and another lady, all of whom looked like they took themselves pretty seriously and were wearing shirts with slogans like "I'm a personal trainer, I'm awesome" (or something to that effect). Turns out they were nowhere near as tough as they either looked or thought they were. I caught 6 of them by the first obstacle and only missed catching 2 of them by the finish. Essentially the Tough Bloke is a trail runner's race, but in order to effectively navigate the obstacles you need to be able to lift your own bodyweight. It therefore played pretty well into my combo of running and crossfit training.
The first obstacles involved hurdles (over one / under the next) and climbing over cargo nets and things. The monkey bars were also fun and I managed to gap everyone but the track-runner. I took him in the first of the tunnels and consolidated the lead in the next 2km running stretch, parts of which were uphill. I didn't mind the mud, although I was a bit concerned that my bloody hand (which had ripped open on the monkey bars after a blister formed wielding the sledghammer yesterday) would get infected. Ah well.
Then came my two least favourite obstacles; the water pipe and the balance beam. The water pipe because it was basically submerged and I had to hold my breath and duck my head to get through. I hadn't realised this going in and swallowed some water so was left coughing and spluttering 10m into a submerged pipe!! The balance beam was terrible - I fell off after about 30m (almost at the finish) and had to restart. I reckon I lost a 30s - 60s right there. I made up time on the wall and the remaining climbing / swing / flying fox obstacles. By that time I was neck and neck with some personal trainer bloke I had caught up to, so legged it for the last km to the final obstacle, "Hell's Gate". It was just a rope which you had to shimmy along while being cheered on by the crowd. It was awesome! My skins came in handy to protect the calves from rope-burn.
I ended up finishing in 34:24, the second fastest time of the day. The guy who beat me is a firefighter who worked a shift last night (although he assures me he got more sleep than the night before the Six Foot Track this year!). What a machine - full respect to him. Apparently there were 3 times faster than mine yesterday, but the track may have been muddier today. I don't care - I had a great time and am stoked with how I went. I even won some compression gear and supplements!
Photos to come.
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Hangover cure
Part of being a corporate athlete is dealing with the various social eating and drinking temptations that go hand in hand with working in a suit. Last night was our end of financial year party, and I unfortunately gave into temptation rather than resisting! All I know is that at one stage there were 20 jaeger bombs lined up on the bar and I had far too many of them. Needless to say, my head hurt like hell this morning.
If you were to ask most normal people how to cure a hangover, I doubt that "jackhammering a concrete path" would be high on the list of responses. I now know why. After a few hours of labouring, my head still hurt so I decided to take Bo for a run. I plugged the ipod in and took off towards Fairlight at an easy pace. Ended up doing 9.8km in 42mins. I felt great by the end and I really think I sweated out most of the toxins!! Bo was brilliant - he ran on a loose lead the whole time (right up to Queensie Road, at which point he thought I'd really appreciate being pulled up the hill).
A few more hours of labouring - this time breaking up pieces of concrete with a sledgehammer - and I was wrecked, but no longer hungover!
If you were to ask most normal people how to cure a hangover, I doubt that "jackhammering a concrete path" would be high on the list of responses. I now know why. After a few hours of labouring, my head still hurt so I decided to take Bo for a run. I plugged the ipod in and took off towards Fairlight at an easy pace. Ended up doing 9.8km in 42mins. I felt great by the end and I really think I sweated out most of the toxins!! Bo was brilliant - he ran on a loose lead the whole time (right up to Queensie Road, at which point he thought I'd really appreciate being pulled up the hill).
A few more hours of labouring - this time breaking up pieces of concrete with a sledgehammer - and I was wrecked, but no longer hungover!
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