5/7/15

20150507 - Day 2 - "The Return"


WOD:

Strength:

5x3 Strict Press

45#
45#
75#
95#
115#

Conditioning:

5-RFT.

30 x KB Swings @ 53#
20 x Walking Lunges
10 x Pullups

Time:  15:00

Listening To:  Nosaj Thing - "Fated"

5/6/15

5 Years

It's been 5 years, man...

FIVE YEARS.

CrossFit Pentagon WOD:

Strength:

5x3 Back Squats

Conditioning:

10m AMRAP
7 x Wallballs @ 20#
7 x Ring Dips
7 x Burpees

Listening To:  Bryson Tiller - "Set You Free" (Gravez Remix)

8/31/10

The End

And just like that it was over...

My time at CrossFit Oldtown has come to an end. A year and a half of blood, sweat, and tears shared with brothers & sisters from many walks of life but of one common mindset:  to improve themselves and the ones around them.

I came to CFOT to get stronger. I was tired of being weak and soft. That was my goal from the start and over time the initial PRs began to fall by the wayside. As time went along I'd go back and look at old blog entries and marvel at just how far I had come physically. I was amazed at what training with your peers on a day-to-day basis could really do but then again that's just the kind of place CFOT is. A place that promotes giving your absolute all as an investment in order that, in return, you will achieve the greatest of results. Training and ultimately competing for CFOT also helped me come to some realizations about myself as well. Personal traits or aspects that needed "extra training" in addition to working my physical being. I now realize that training your body should go hand in hand with training your mentality, will, resolve, heart whatever you want to call it. It should be one body of work - they should be one in the same! I failed to realize this until the end though...

One thing that CrossFit has done for me is rekindle my fascination and love for Olympic Lifting where before I was merely a kid staying up late to watch the snatch and clean & jerk every olympics. Now I want to oly lift more, maybe even become proficient enough to one day even compete on an amateur level for fun. Who knows?  I'd also like to improve my absolute strength in regards to powerlifting and the strict press just because I want to continue that journey towards strength. I'd like to sprint more - being that it was my love of Track & Field that started my whole athletic career. I want to get back to running the 100m, 200m, 400m, and maybe if I'm feeling saucy the dreaded 800m and 1600m races. Maybe even throw in a long or triple jump just to see if I can get back to where I was leaping before back in the day.

All in all my time at CrossFit Oldtown has been nothing short of memorable if not unforgettable. I will never forget certain experiences or memories, both good and bad, from my first muscle up, to my first "Fran," from my first 405-lb. deadlift, to my DNF'ing the OHS/PU/Bastard WOD at last year's Mid-Atlantic Hopper Challenge, from me cleaning 225-lbs. for the first time to spraining both my shoulders in one WOD it has all been a pleasure and a joy. But most of all I will never forget the people that I've met along the way. You made it all worth it and that's probably the part that weighs heaviest on me as I leave.

But alas it's not really the end. I will continue to train although I'm somewhat hampered by life and it's challenges right now. But thanks for CFOT and CrossFit in general I can never look at fitness the same ever again. Certain things just make sense now and I can never go back to the way things used to be. Being functionally fit makes me a better husband, father, son, brother, and friend. And I think that benefits everyone around me.

Thanks,
Soni... OUT!

8/16/10

CAUTION: Fujimoto Overhead!

WOD:

30-min. AMRAP

400m Run
7 Muscle Ups
12 Overhead Squats (95-lbs.)

Total Rounds:  5 - 2/3-rds.

Thinking back on this morning's WOD and entering this subsequent blog entry has caused me to doubt my decisions and even my abilities...

Listening To:  It Prevails - "Defenses Down"

8/13/10

Hand Me Down

WOD:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Handstand Pushups
Power Cleans (155-lbs.)

Time:  20:43

Only one day removed from my beloved "Filthy 50" WOD and I get pummeled by this HSPU/PC WOD. So this was 55 HSPUs in about 20 minutes which is about on par what I did in last week's DL/HSPU/Burpee WOD.

But it's official:  I wanna be Markie D when I grow up... at least in the shoulders!

Listening To:  Ke$ha - "Your Love is My Drug"

8/12/10

Are you Filthy or Dirty?

WOD - "Filthy 50:"

50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping Pullups
50 KB Swings (53-lbs.)
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press (45-lbs.)
50 Back Extensions
50 Wallballs (20-lbs.)
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders

Time:  19:44

There are two WODs that I absolutely love - For Time:  2 Scoops of Rocky Road Ice Cream, and the Filthy 50. Haven't done 2 scoops in a long time so the Filthy 50 was the next best thing.

As Jerry would say "This was in my wheelhouse." (Save for a few movements).

NOTES:

- Right out of the gate I hammered 50 Box Jumps and then quickly moved onto jumping pullups.
- For the KB swings I did a chunk of 25, took a 3 count rest and then did 15, and 10.
- After yesterday's Back Squats the Walking Lunges actually felt pretty good and I was able to just keep moving.
- Knees to Elbows are "okay" in that they're certainly easier than say Toes-to-Bar. Tried to stay close to bar and knock out chunks of 5 near the end.
- Push Presses were really light and I tried to find a good, solid rhythm combined with technique.
- Back Extensions were deceiving but I powered through sets of 20's & 10's.
- Wallballs... oh wallballs, I certainly hate you as of late. For these I took Jerry's advice and partitioned them into sets. First set was 20, then the rest were 10's. Lost some time here.
- Burpees. For these the trick is just to keep moving no matter what. Another trick is to not waste energy on any unnecessary movement, i.e. jumping too high, donkey kicking your pushup, strict pushup, etc. Just jump high enough to get your shoulders behind your ears, clap and then use the momentum to carry you back down to your squat and subsequent pushup. I was DYING by the end of these!
- Me and Doubleunders have a love/hate relationship. I'm either really proficient or really horrible. Today was a proficient day. Did sets of 30 and 20 to finish things off on a good note.

Listening To:  Kelis - "Brave"

8/11/10

Diddly Squats

WOD:

Back Squat 5 x 5

-THEN-

Max Reps @ 80% Load

Top Load:  225-lbs. 245-lbs. / 16-reps. @ 185-lbs.

Not too sure what happened this morning other than my set at 225-lbs. felt really deep & strong but then my set at 245-lbs. was just really uncomfortable more than anything. I'm curious to see how my achey groin & hip respond after not squatting for a little while.

After my 5th set I attempted to "rep out" with 185-lbs. and was able to eke out 16 reps. Not sure if that's good or not considering that my lower back, and shoulders literally felt like they were gonna explode out of my body and onto the floor. But it is what it is... I wanna get stronger and in a hurry.

Listening To:  Friendly Fires - "Paris"

8/2/10

Battle of the Broken Blood Vessels

WOD:

20-min. AMRAP

3 Deadlifts (275-lbs.)
5 Handstand Pushups
8 Burpees

Total Rounds: 11.33-rds. (+4 HSPU)

So I saw the WOD last night and immediately was a little hesitant. 20 minutes of deadlifts plus HSPUs... I had visions of dangerously rounded backs, and burnt shoulders that resembled jello. BUT! and I do mean "but," the WOD wasn't nearly as bad as one would've thought. Things did get increasingly difficult as the twenty minutes slowly ticked away but they also managed to stay doable.

One thing that I've noticed I do lately is mentally psych myself out prior to hitting what I would deem a more "difficult" WOD. This happened during last Friday's "Muscle Bear" WOD that consisted of Muscle Ups & The Bear Complex. I came into that WOD mentally defeated.

I think it's pretty safe to say I need more mental resolve... more heart!

Listening To: The Black Keys - "Next Girl"

7/30/10

MUSCLE BEAR!

WOD:

5-4-3-2-1

Muscle Ups
Bear Complex (115-lbs.)

Time:  11:47

More thoughts later!

Listening To:  Lupe Fiasco - "Love Come Down" (Remix) feat. Dirty Money

7/29/10

Silly Hot

WOD:

Run 4 x 400m
Rest 90-secs. between each

Time(s): 1:16 / 1:55* / 1:50* / 1:43*

*Disclaimer: my math got messed up somewhere along the road.*

Dude... it according to Christine it was 81 degrees... AT 5:15 IN THE MORNING! That's silly hot. On top of the heat it was also super muggy - a good word to describe the atmosphere this morning would be "soupy." Anyway, my times are jacked up - the only number that I know for sure is correct is that first 400m run at 1:16 and that's only because it started at zero. FML!

Listening To: It Prevails - "Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow"

7/28/10

Cautioners

WOD:

5-RFT.

10 Barbell Pushups
10 Power Cleans (135-lbs.)

*For every drop and/or if your hands leave the bar you must run 200m as a penalty.*

Time:  10:08

Even though all pushups were unbroken I still ran the 200m penalty about 6 times. I think the heartbreaker was on my 5th and last set of cleans the bar slipped outta my hands after the 7th rep and I had to go run a 200m. That would've put me well below sub-10... bummer.

Listening To:  Dr. Dre - "Still D.R.E."

7/27/10

Double Up & Pull Under

WOD - "Annie-Up!"

50 Double Unders / 25 Pullups
40 Double Unders / 20 Pullups
30 Double Unders / 15 Pullups
20 Double Unders / 10 Pullups
10 Double Unders / 5 Pullups

Time: 7:37

My Facebook feed as of late has been inundated with friends & associates posting deep, meaningful quotes - some good, some bad - but what I noticed is that they come from great minds, philosophical thinkers, and mental giants. Well, I found a quote that seems to resonate with me and my inner Nerd/Trekkie:

Quote of the Day:

"Impossible is a word that humans use far too often."

Seven of Nine - Star Trek: Voyager - S4E26


Listening To: Rick Ross - "Push It"

7/16/10

"Chelsea"

WOD - "Chelsea:"

Every minute on the minute perform:

5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Air Squats


Continue for 30-minutes!

Result:  11-rds. (+9 more rds.)

Actual conversation during the WOD today:

Jerry:  "Sean, how did you finish up?"
Me:  " *Gasping for Air* Not good - 11 rounds..."
Jerry:  "What gave out?"
Me:  *Gasping for more air & pointing to chest to signify pushups*
Jerry:  "Your heart?"
Me:  "Not my heart - the pushups got me!!!"

Throughout the day I've been thinking about what Jerry said even though he probably didn't mean anything by it (at least... I don't think he did).

Heart.

What does that mean and can I personally exhibit "heart" during a workout. Have I ever shown "heart" in a workout? Will I ever show "heart" in a workout? These questions have been running through my brain for most of the day. I feel like I'm doing a kind of self-inventory or self-evaluation. Have I ever proved my mettle? I've seen other people display "heart" but thinking back I have very specific memories of failure that stain my mind to this day. Hmm...

Just points to ponder on.

Listening To:  Paper Tongues - "Ride to California"

7/15/10

Time Trials

WOD:

SPRINT! the following for Time:

"Da Loop" (1-mi.)
Rest 5-min.

800m Run
Rest 4-min.

600m Run
Rest 3-min.

400m Run
Rest 2-min.

200m Run
...Die!

Times:  7:57 / 4:14 / 3:11 / 1:46 / :25

Running... yay.

Honestly? I probably could've ran a faster mile for time but I felt like I'd be wasting energy for the later runs, i.e. the 800m & 600m runs. Plus I wanted to go balls to the wall for the 200m run which is kinda my forte. So color me surprised that I actually ran a sub-8 minute mile. I thought I'd be more in the 9 to 10-min. range!

FUN FACT:  The fastest mile I have ever ran was a 5:20. That was many moons ago and at the apex of my sprinting days.

I digress. Running this much in my Nike Free's makes my feet achey.

Listening To:  Paper Tongues - "Trinity"

7/14/10

Whew!

WOD:

Squat Clean 5 x 3

Top Load:  195-lbs. / 207-lbs.

Sometimes life (most of the time: "work") deals you a raw hand and all you can do is bend over and take it. That's how the past week and a half have been. Too much work, not enough gym time, and minor flubs can throw one into a flux. Needless to say I'm trying to get back on track but I'm finding it hard to drum up some motivation.

Changes are coming my way here in the next few months - good changes, but changes none the less.

Moving forward - been M.I.A. at the box for far too long. Were Squat Cleans a good way to re-integrate with the rest of CrossFit-ting humanity? MMMMmmmm.... I'm gonna go with a resounding "nope." I don't know if it was case of deconditioning or what but I felt pretty fatigued after my 3rd set of 165-lbs. And after my final (successful) set of 195-lbs. for 3 I was gassed like a mug! I still forged ahead and attempted to shoot for 207-lbs. for 3 but the results were less than nominal. I got one rep but kinda cranked on my left wrist weirdly when I failed to securely get the bar to my shoulders. Afterwards I did a dropset of 165-lbs. x 3 followed by a set of 5 at 135-lbs. to finish things for the day.

Overall it felt good to be back - we'll see how things go from here.

Listening To:  Norma Jean - "Falling from the Sky: Day Seven"

6/18/10

Bladder Up!



















WOD:

1 Power Clean   (155-lbs.) / 2 Ring Pushups
2 Power Cleans (155-lbs.) / 4 Ring Pushups
3 Power Cleans (155-lbs.) / 6 Ring Pushups
4 Power Cleans (155-lbs.) / 8 Ring Pushups
5 Power Cleans (155-lbs.) / 10 Ring Pushups
...
...
...
10 Power Cleans (155-lbs) / 20 Ring Pushups

Time:  17:46

That's 5-days straight and I feel comfortable with my performances this week having not taken a rest day. I'll use the weekend to rest and heal up. I've been trying to push myself hard lately, we'll see what happens...

Listening To:  Dr. Dre feat Jay-Z - "Under Pressure"

6/17/10

Strictly Business





















WOD:

Strict Press 5x3

All-New CrossFit Oldtown Womens Strict Press Record!

Top Load:  135-lbs. (PR)

-THEN-

After Party:

3-rds.

30 Overhead Walking Lunges (45-lb. Plate)
20 Wallballs (20-lbs.)

-THEN-

After, AFTER Party:

Reverse Hyper 5x12

Watching:  World Cup - South Africa 2010:  Argentina v. South Korea

6/16/10

Pullup Party Pooper!

WOD:

For Time:

100 Pullups
100 Box Jumps
100 Situps
1 Mile Run

Time:  23:40

Listening To:  Kanye West - "Power"

6/15/10

Deadlift every...














WOD:

Deadlift x 2 every 2:30-mins. x 7

Avg. Load: 315-lbs.

-AFTER-

Reverse Hyper 5x12

Listening To: The Living End - "Listen Up Suzie"

6/14/10

Hot 'n Heavy

WOD - "HTFU: "

400m Run
9 Thrusters (135-lbs.)
9 Ring Dips

400m Run
12 Thrusters (135-lbs.)
12 Ring Dips

400m Run
15 Thrusters (135-lbs.)
15 Ring Dips

400m Run
12 Thrusters (135-lbs.)
12 Ring Dips

400m Run
9 Thrusters (135-lbs.)
9 Ring Dips

Time: 32:28

Listening To: Metallica - "Ride the Lightning"