170 by 31 Dec09

150 x1 three times.

The most horrible complex?

Did a good session with Craig, he was late so I worked deads and pulled three singles at 150kg with tight form.

Then he turned up and we did the AMRAP in 20 of 42.5kg 5 Thruster,7 Hang Clean, 10 SDLHP. I PBed with 8 full rounds.

That thing is hideous.

Back Squats

5 x 5 @ 90kg

then I did 3 sets of 10 step ups (30cm step) with 80kg - they were interesting.

Legless Fran with bells ?

21-15-9

double 1.5pd KB Push press
Pull Ups

9:40

the KBs reduced effective range at the bottom but increased stability requirement at the top, and they were hard (21) 11-4-3-3 (15) 5-5-5 (9) 3-3-3 all pull ups were unbroken.

Ryan wrecked my wrists,Fight gone bad went alright...

Tomorrow there are two workouts in my head but DU/Thrusters may rear its ugly head again or we will do CFXs WOD from today, depend how many show up.

1400 at my place - number 12 next to the park. 0416014607

WOD is going to be find 1RM in 15 mins post warm up, then...

21-15-9 Deadlifts at 55% of found 1 RM coupled with 42-30-18 Push ups rounded out with a 300m run.

Then talk shit until Errica says I need to get ready for the Carbathon.

Random Comment after coaches Journal article on Crossfit Psychology

I saw this and thought it fit perfectly into the last couple of thinking posts about why do we crossfit and how crossfit are you? Keen to hear comments.

From Colin in the comments:

"Does anyone else find almost the opposite phenomenon at play when thinking about/doing CrossFit; does the fact that the WOD will crush you every single time no matter how much you strive and improve instill a certain resignation to being less than master of the domain?


I certainly experience this - I cannot name many CrossFit experiences which have left me feeling like I've overcome anything at all (PR's included) - my attitude is that all I've done is made myself slightly less average but that I'm so very very very far from 'crushing it' that I've no business kidding myself that I've achieved anything significant.


Being an inherently competitive person this is often times driven by the fact that 1,2 or a great many more (usually the latter) people have beaten me at a given WOD (probably an unhealthy association I know).


I'm intrigued to think that I am the only person in the CrossFit world who is consistently disappointed with my WOD performances (even PR's) - not because I didn't do well compared to my old standards (often times I do) but because there is so much further to go that I feel inadequate during even my best performances."

DT

Did DT with Dan and Reek, man he can move! 11mins for DT I posted 16:13 @ 67kg which is half the time it took me to do it with 70 last time.

Training with fitter individuals than yourself is one way to ramp up your intensity!

How Crossfit are you?

I was inspired for this post by the combination of a stupid facebook quiz, Months of thinking on this topic and some questions after todays WOD at CFNQ.




Crossfitness or indeed fitness as defined by a work capacity over broad time and modal domains lies on a spectrum or scale as do most things where you sit on this scale has to do with a number of factors 3 of which I think are the most important they are:

Training Age and Quality
Crossfit Training Age and Intensity
Psycological Factors

Training Age is important because regardless of your genetic heritage(which is arguably another factor) someone who has been training for significantly longer than you has potentially acrued a level of improvement in the qualities of fitness you desire and there is no short cut to this investment of hard work over time.

This leads to quality. Only quality training really counts toward your training age in my opinion I have yet to see firebreathers who after 10 years of 30 min walks thrice weekly convert to crossfit and tear up a Fran. I have seen AFL/Soldiers, Long distance Runner/Soldiers, Rugby Players, SERT Policemen, Special Ops Soldiers and recently a fernwood fitness trainer devour crossfit workouts without really converting to crossfit. (It could be argued by the particularly zealous Crossfitters out there that these individuals already trained Crossfit but didn't know it but I find that argument too obnoxious and arrogant to pay more heed)

Crossfit Training Age, I think in light of the previous stanza it is important to note that I believe Crossfit is the only training methodology for anyone who comes to the realisation that they will benefit from being pretty fit at most things rather than very fit at one thing.

The question is often asked what sort of athlete transitions best to crossfit? and the answers vary but none of the answers should sound like a recommendation to stop crossfit see if you can become a state level triathlete and then start crossfit again.

To illustrate my point imagine to twins trained as triathletes since birth then one is introduced to Crossfit at 15 and the other at 20 it is fair to guess that the athlete who stayed with triathlon for the extra 5 years will own his twin at triathlon comps but get beaten by him at anything else.

Lastly Crossfit is often see by some as a badge of superiority - it is not. If you are lucky enough to have your definition of fitness more sorted than a specialist that you know then that is the extent of your superiority it is quite possible that a non crossfit trained specialist could own you on a given WOD.

It would be a challenging and pointless exercise to try to matrix the training age of long term Crossfitting housewife to a longterm elite sportswomen turned crossfitter but I believe they would exist on the same continuum just not at the same training ages.

Psychological factors = Mongrel
You have got to want it and to be happy going to that dark painfull place... not everyone has this I am not sure it can be taught.

Thats all for now please post to comments and I will edit this so it makes more sense when I am less excited.

Hard session

I did the 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 WOD
Front Squat(63kg) and GHD Sit Up
19:45 and it was hard!

Glad to work out again after about 3 days off.
Now what for tomorrow?

Sunday WOD

Today was the first Sunday session after a while of not having them.

WOD was: find your 1RM Power Clean Errica and Kimmie got 36kg, Chris 65kg, Steve 75kg and I nailed a PB 90kg.

then we did 15-12-9 Power clean 70% of 1RM and Clap Push Ups(normal Push Ups for the girls)

Steve 4:12
Brett 5:05
Kim 5:28
Errica 5:30
Chris 5:38

That was good Fun.
Tomorrow rest for sure!

Fran PB

Got home, the girls were working out so I was inspired to chuck up a Fran.

Did it with 40kg and paced myself;

21 Thrusters, 21 Pull ups, 5 Thrusters,5 Thrusters,5 Thrusters,10 Pull Ups,5 Pull Ups, 5 Thrusters, 4 Thrusters, 9 Pull Ups

6:15! PB by 14 secs

Starting Strength

I did the SS workout today and in prep was thinking what I was going to do after it to garner some intensity for the morning.

3 work sets of 5 reps at 100kg was spot on for intensity! I struggled with reps 3-5 on each of the 3 sets.

If it is hard - it will work.

I only managed 5 reps, 4 reps then 3 reps on press at 60kg.

I managed a double on the deadlift at 140 and backed it up with another single, still way of the single set of five I should have done.

But I am pretty sure I have a strained hamstring (not from this morning, it has been bothering me for a fortnight)so it is time to start working around it!

10.5km Strand Run

50:20 which is a PB for that distance I am sure.

I got beasted by a fair few folks though.

Definetely went out too hard too early my pace dropped off at the 6 km mark and I got passed by heaps of crew :(

Still a good morning.

Mongrel

The picture above is a dude I trained with once but didn't get his permission to post his photo so I cut off his head.

This bloke is new to crossfit but is... no word of a lie... an Animal!

In my mind he epitomises the concept that intensity breeds results. Previous training was body building centric(as evidenced by arms like my thighs) but no doubt would have been done with some severe intensity.

As a result this guy did 30 MU on his first attempt and can match it with the heavy hitters on a regular basis.

The point of this post is that while I am convinced Crossfit will produce elite fitness, great fitness can be achieved via any training method if one gets some mongrel into them whenever the train.