TD 84 - Men's Health Urbanathlon: NYC 2011

this morning, DK and i went to citi field for the 4th Men's Health Urbanathlon held in new york city.  this was DK's 2nd time participating in it (2007) and i remember he mentioned that he had fun last time.  it was a good precursor to Tough Mudder: Tri-State, as the temperature was cold and the weather was rainy.  definitely a good kick in the pants at 8am.

"the before pic" - prior to acclimating to the cold & rain

it was a 9.5 mile run sprinkled w/8 obstacle courses throughout:

(1) police barricades (go under) & plastic barriers (go over) combination

(2) tire field and cargo net crawl combination

(3) chain link crawl (the website says jeep crawl- but it was switched out for the end... probably for marketing purposes) & Marine hurdles

(4) parallel bars and monkey bars combination

(5) traffic cones with poles and pallet walls combination

(6) stair climb #1 - arthur ashe stadium

(7) stair climb # 2 - citi field

(8) taxis and buses to jeep crawl to wall finish

my favorite combination, obviously, was the chain link crawl and the Marine Hurdles.  the hurdles were a good height and i liked the ever-present awakening thump to my midsection every time  hopped over one... the stair climbs were awesome because i got to enjoy the view of the inside of the venues. 

DK and i had different heats because of our age difference (haha, i was in the old man group).  we approached the Urbanathlon as a smooth training day and held decent paces throughout the 9.5 miles.  i've learned that i have to stop being stubborn and stop by the water/gatorade stations or bring some sort of performance gels throughout a medium distance course because i was cramping at the 9 mile mark.  other than that, the engine felt good and aside from my calves (slight soreness), my entire body felt great (and still does) after the race.

results
DK: 1hour 24min 11sec (196th/1,793 overall, 191st/1,473 male overall, 120th/511 males 25-29yr)
DV: 1hour 38min 34sec (690th/1,793 overall, 648th/1,473 male overall, 90th/346 males 30-34yr)

DK crushed my time! to include obstacles, he managed to keep a pace just under 7mph.  i managed to keep a pace under 6mph.

"the after pic" - 9.5 miles later

 all in all, i think it was a good prep for what's about to go down in 2 weeks!

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 83

this morning HD and i split up our session into: (1) deadlifts and (2) a timed workout.

deadlifts
5 reps/140lbs, 5reps/175lbs, 3reps/210lbs, 3reps/245lbs, 3reps/280lbs, 4reps/285lbs

my last set was supposed to be 315lbs, but the weight wasn't going up.  we loaded 295lbs- it still wasn't going up, so i settled for 285lbs.  i have no excuses- i felt fine, not one inch of muscle is sore or has been for a couple of days... we even had a rest day yesterday.... the weight just wasn't going up for me in the 6th set.  the 5th set went up fine.  maybe because 315lbs is the heaviest i've attempted, seeing 3 plates on each side may have given me a mental block... i dunno, i have to fix it.  i know i'm capable of working over 300lbs, maybe today just wasn't my day.  setbacks in training happen and i'm not going to let this beat me.  i'm just going to have to work smarter, harder, and put some time in is all.

as for HD, he killed his last set with 345lbs!  i had a feeling he'd do well, so i took a video:

i am really fortunate to have a workout partner like HD.  he motivates me every morning and his performances are really inspiring.  i know if he sticks with it, he can get really good at constantly varied functional movements at high intensity!  2 years from now, watch out!

last, for time
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of
pullups
kettlebell swings (25lbs)

results
HD: 6min 5sec     DV: 4min 23sec

this felt really good and my body feels prepped for saturday's race.  i meet up with DK to conduct the Urbanathlon and although we have different heats, i'm going to count it as a training day.  it'll be good mileage to get our bodies used to operating continuously for that duration.  will be sure to post.

until then...

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 82

HD and i decided to workout in the evening because we were still feeling the effects of "Linda" in the morning... we also got a couple extra hours of well needed sleep.  we split the session up into (1) overhead presses, (2) a timed workout, and (3) cool down on the rowing machine.

overhead presses
5reps/70lbs, 5reps/85lbs, 3reps/105lbs, 3reps/120lbs, 3rep/140lbs, 4reps/155lbs (2, 2)

the first 5 sets felt pretty good.  i was surprised that the 6th set gave me trouble and i had to split it up with 2 reps up, a quick break, and another 2 reps up.  HD destroyed his last set with 6 reps.

next, for time
4 rounds
10 toe-to-bar
10 air squats
10 burpees

we were initially going to do 500m row, 21 toe-to-bar, 500m row, 15 toe-to-bar, 500m row, 9 toe-to-bar.  unfortunately, the gym was too packed so we had to improvise and that was the WOD i came up with, especially since no one seemed to go near the squat rack.... except to do bicep curls?  haha, anyways...

results
HD: 5min 37sec     DV: 5min 59sec

you saw right folks.  HD did beat me this WOD and it felt like the changing of the guard.  hopefully this motivates me to push harder and not let up.  it was bound to happen since HD has been working really hard and putting in the time.  i'm proud of him and promise to do my best every session to ensure we both keep improving.

we were also talking about how we would like to keep working on our toe-to-bar form as well because it feels like we've been muscling our legs up throughout the WOD.  it would be nice to get an efficient kip going.

last, cool-down
rowing machine, 1500m

we're taking off tomorrow and are conducting one more training day on thursday & another rest day on friday before i run the Men's Health Urbanathlon this saturday with DK.

good times.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 81

this morning was split into two parts: (1) squats and (2) a timed workout.  i programmed a timed 1000m swim for today, but our globo gym is currently renovating the pool, so i had to come up with something quick... why not substitute the swim for "Linda?"  ... haha, i sort of regretted it.

squats
5reps/100lbs, 5reps/125lbs, 3reps/150lbs, 3reps/175lbs, 3reps/200lbs, 5reps/225lbs

i definitely enjoy the 2nd week of 5/3/1 because the working sets are only 3 reps (haha a sheer sign of my laziness).  the common theme for this week is: based on HD's and my past performances, we have an idea of what our 1RM is on certain lifts through calculating percentages, it's just that we've never attempted anything close to our 1RM until this week.  we've never squatted anything heavier than 210lbs, so i'm glad we finally attacked this weight.  HD put this up 7 times!  i look forward to keep at it and continually improving.

next, for time
modified "Linda" (55 total reps of each exercise)
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of
deadlift (210lbs)
bench press (140lbs)
hang power cleans (105)

as you can see, HD and i scaled the percentages based on a 140lbs person. deadlifts are supposed to be 1.5x your bodyweight, with bench at 1.0x and cleans at 0.75x.  also, the standard is squat cleans or regular cleans.  since HD and i are still improving our lower back strength, we modified the last movement to hang power cleans so that we wouldn't totally destroy our lower back.  according to the WOD Club the average time is 28mins and 3secs.  sooner than later, HD and i are going to start creeping on (and hopefully will start becoming competitive at) the Rx'd weights.  we'd love to get there now, but no rush.

here is Chris Spealler conducting "Linda" just to give you an idea of how great the elites really are:

Mr. Spealler is ridiculous and i aspire to have his fitness.

results
HD: 37min 53sec     DV: 27min 57sec

instead of taking a rest day tomorrow, we're going to sneak in a training day so that i can take wednesday off.  this is so that i can have one more training day on thursday, take friday off, and conduct the Men's Health Urbanathlon: NYC this saturday.  as i've stated before, it's crazy to think that the months have gone by so fast since we started writing this blog...

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 80

this afternoon HD and i split up the session into two parts: (1) bench presses and (2) a timed workout.  HD's legs were feeling pretty sore from yesterday and we were discussing that "the living dead" was a good workout we needed to jump start our bodies to start off week 2 of our second cycle of 5/3/1.  we both PR'd today!

bench presses
5reps/130lbs, 5reps/160lbs, 3reps/190lbs, 3reps/225lbs, 3reps/255lbs, 4reps/290lbs

based on percentages of my past performances, my 1RM is 320lbs.  however, i've never benched anything heavier than 275lbs!  today, i definitely crushed my last PR!  HD also crushed his last set and PR'd.

next, for time
15-12-9-6 reps
handstand pushups
overhead squats (65lbs)

here is HD's first round of 15 reps:

the handstand pushup is a skill we need a lot of work on.  it's always fun to train & practice HSPUs and it's exciting to think that there are so many other things we need to work on.  if we put in the time and effort, those are so many things that we'll eventually be good at.

results
HD: 15min 41sec     DV: 6min 51sec

we also have to work on our depth for over overhead and front squats.  i'm looking forward to putting those movements more into our programming after tm: tri-state.

and that's that.  time to eat junk food and enjoy the remaining football games (although my fantasy teams stink haha)!  i hope you all are having a great weekend.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 79 - the living dead

it was really great weather to workout in this afternoon.  4TWC used today to have a large training session, consisting of TS, HD, AM, RL, and me.  we also had a few cameo appearances by NS, CA, NT, MG, and MV.  the group did a great job with all their hard work and nonstop efforts they gave today.

TS, NS, HD, CA, NT, MG, AM, DV, RL, MV

as you can see below, in the spirit of an early halloween, a few us decided to play the parts of zombies.  we named this afternoon the "living dead" in tribute to (1) zombies/the walking dead and (2) the warrior code of bushido.  in hagakure - the book of the samurai, it maintains that bushido is the "way of dying" - living as though one is already dead and that warriors must be willing to die at any moment... "the way of the warrior is death."

AM holding on to his humanity until the very last second

my favorite quote from hagakure is: "a real man does not think of victory or defeat.  he plunges recklessly towards an irrational death.  by doing this, you will awaken from your dreams."  with this fearless mentality & embracing the inevitable, you bypass limiting your potential and accomplish things you considered impossible in the past... you stop giving up on yourself and just keep pushing... truly a BA and applicable quote towards various facets of life.

the living dead
this afternoon, we split the day up into (4) parts, that we conducted for completion and not for time:

(1) 2.5mile warmup group run

(2) modified "cindy"
     5 rounds: 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats, 200m run, 10 burpees, 200m run

breaking parallel! just gotta get the heels down & straighten the lumbar curve.

(3) 30meter pushup jumps, 50m bear crawls, 50m broad jumps

(4) tire flips, 800m run, 50 jumping jacks, 50 tire jumps

afterward, TS & NS' parents put some food on the grill, had some beers on ice, and we feasted for a little bit.

all in all, great people, great workout, great day.  shoutout to everyone who participated today in one way or another- i think we all benefited from this great experience and it was a good prep for tough mudder: tri-state.

HD & i are conducting TD 80 in a few hours... can't wait.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 78

the reason we snuck in this training day tonight instead of conducting it tomorrow morning, is so that we get a full day of rest before The Living Dead.  today was truly an action packed day of heavy lifts and challenging metcons... also, after this morning's session, HD and i found out that Gaddafi was killed in a crossfire.  so when i'm old and gray, i can tell my grandchildren that on training day 78, Gaddafi ceased to exist...

haha, anyway, tonight was split up into: (1) deadlifts and (2) a timed workout.

deadlifts
5reps/140lbs, 5reps/175lbs, 3reps/210lbs, 5reps/230lbs, 5reps/265lbs, 5reps/300lbs

today i PR'd as i've never physically deadlifted 300lbs before.  theoretically, based on percentages, my 1RM is 350lbs, but i've never picked up anything heavier than 275lbs until tonight.... i was a bit concerned because we did a ton of deadlifts for our metcon this morning, so i was worried it would greatly affect our performances tonight.  i'm glad it didn't and it makes me wonder what would've happened if we didn't have deadlifts this morning.  would we have done better?  or would we have done worse (because maybe the morning was the warmup we needed)?  HD killed 325lbs on his last set and so far our results are a testament to 5/3/1 and CrossFit.  we're very thankful we have both those methods in our lives.

next, for time
4 rounds
15 box jumps
300m row
15 kettlebell swings (25lbs)

here are my last two rounds:

i felt really good during this metcon.  i could've been more explosive with my jumps towards the end as i stepped down and could've rowed a bit faster.  i believe i went unbroken throughout the four rounds if you don't count stepping down on the box jumps.

results
HD: 10min 49sec     DV: 10min 7sec

even though tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, i am thinking about running... we'll see.  after this weekend, i'll have a few days until the Men's Health Urbanathlon & two more weeks until TM: Tri-State!!! the 4TWC team t-shirts should be here within a week and i'll be sure to post pics.

will be sure to post media from this weekend.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 77

this morning was split into two parts: (1) overhead presses and (2) a 10min AMRAP. HD and i are doing a two-a-day today, so i'll post again this evening. we kept it challenging and light.

overhead presses
5reps/70lbs, 5reps/85lbs, 3reps/105lbs, 5reps/115lbs, 5reps/130lbs, 5reps/150lbs (split into, 2, 1, 1, 1)

as you can see, i struggled a bit on the last set. i had to break it up, so in actuality, i did three extra sets of singles... HD struggled on his 6th set as well. Houston, i think we have found our threshold. i was pretty upset, but what are you gonna do haha? now we know that this is the weight that's going to be staring at us in the face for awhile or until we get better. i look forward to seeing it again next week.

next, 10min AMRAP
10 deadlifts (155lbs)
250m shuttle run

here is HD's first round:

the deadlifts sneak up on you.... don't sleep on this one.  we were actually going to do a 20min AMRAP, but because of time constraints and that we're doing heavy deadlifts tonight, we thought it'd be best to cut the time in half.

results
HD: 5 rounds +1 deadlift
DV: 5 rounds +10 deadlifts

see you tonight.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 76

HD & i had a surprise guest this morning in conducting the training day.  TS was able to join us with the second half.  we split the morning up into: (1) squats and (2) 20 minute AMRAP.

squats
5reps/100lbs, 5reps/125lbs, 3reps/150lbs, 5reps/165lbs, 5reps/190lbs, 7reps/215lbs

this is really becoming my favorite lift and it's pretty scary how much i obsess over it haha.  i can't wait until next week... again, i wish i worked out my legs when i was younger.  HD was able to hit the last set for 9 reps!

"Cindy"
20mins - AMRAP
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

i was unable to fully participate in this AMRAP as my right light was too tight.  i ended up doing only 5 rounds.  here are TS' first 5 rounds:

TS and HD did such a great job and i was pretty ashamed that i was unable to partake in the fun.

results
HD: 21 rounds + 2 pullups
TS: 29 rounds +5 pullups +10 pushups +4 squats

... thinking about it the whole day at work, i decided to conduct "Cindy" at my house around 7pm.

here are my first 5 rounds... the angle is bad, but you can see i have a little friend watching me:

results
27 rounds +5 pullups +3 pushups

i think i'll be able to go to sleep now with a clear conscious haha.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 75 - our 100th post!

so we've made it to our 100th post!  pretty happy that the last 5 months were consistently documented and so long as the Internet survives, the memories of this journey survives with it.  this morning, we split up the training day into two parts: (1) bench press and (2) a timed workout.  we started another 4-week cycle of 5/3/1 and this time, we aren't using 90% of our 1RM for the program... we're going the full 100% (ouch)!... let me stop crying.

bench press
5reps/130lbs, 5reps/160lbs, 3reps/190lbs, 5reps/210lbs, 5reps/240lbs, 5reps/270lbs

i felt flat on the last set and had a hard time getting 5 up.  HD pr'd on his last set and was able to put up 6 repetitions!  hopefully when we do squats tomorrow, i'll have more gas in the tank.  maybe three days off was too much?  anyways, no excuses.  just have to reassess what i did the last three days and fix it.

next, for time
30 clean & jerks (75lbs)

here is HD's entire round:

i'd have to say this is one of my favorite exercises just cause it warms up the whole body.

results
HD: 2min 43sec     DV: 1min 52sec

and that's that.  can't wait for tomorrow.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer

TD 74

so this is our 99th post!  we have 1 week until The Living Dead, 2 weeks until Men's Health Urbanathlon, and 4 week until Tough Mudder: Tri-State 2011.  time is going by really fast and i'm glad the last few months were spent improving ourselves consistently....

i also found out today that i passed the ANSI Accredited CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course and am officially a CF-L1 Trainer!  for the most part, i wasn't planning on getting paid to coach anyone in the near future... maybe open an affiliate down the road, who knows?  as i've stated before, it was a great experience and i'm glad to be officially part of the world's greatest fitness network.

moving along, HD & i split up the morning into two parts: (1) deadlift and (2) a timed swim workout.

deadlift
5 reps/125lbs, 5 reps/155lbs, 3 reps/190lbs, 5 reps/125lbs, 5 reps/155lbs, 5 reps/190lbs

i think this deload week was really beneficial, as i can feel my body recovering and getting amped up for next week's training days.  this completed HD's and my first cycle with 5/3/1 and it looks like we're going to stick with it.  HD has made considerable gains and i feel like my weak lifts are catching up to my strong ones... haha finally!

next, for time
8 rounds
50m swim
25 air squats

we rarely swim and this is a monostructural movement i would like to get good at.  i started to tire out at the midway point, taking quick breathers every 25 meters.  eventually, i'm going to do this workout unbroken and faster.  HD & i definitely need to train and practice more.

results
HD: 21min 29sec     DV: 15min 1sec

haha i was actually racing against the clock during my last round of air squats and tried to get sub-15... to no avail, i should've sucked it up and took less breathers... every second counts.

i would also like to share this video i saw on CrossFit Endurance, which came from last week's "whiteboard wednesday" and  discusses the military athlete and how to include rucking into your programming.  great insights:

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness
CrossFit Level 1 (CF-L1) Trainer 

^ haha i gotta get used to that...

TD 73

this morning was split into: (1) overhead press and (2) a timed workout.

overhead press
5 reps/60lbs, 5 reps/80lbs, 3 reps/95lbs, 5 reps/60lbs, 5 reps/80lbs, 5 reps/95lbs

then, for time
1000m row
50 hand-release pushups
30 kettlebell swings (25lbs)

here is my entire round:

results
HD: 7min 23sec     DV: 6min 37sec

my row has got to get better and the next time i should encounter 50 hr pushups, i'll try to go unbroken.  all in all, my energy levels throughout the day seem higher than usual since we've decreased the work, increased the rest periods, and maintained intensity.

we finished the training day by stretching for about 10 minutes.

after work, this evening, i ended up running 3.2 miles.  my last two runs felt really strong and i'm really excited that i'm getting better without having to run more than 10 miles a day like i used to a couple of years ago.

tomorrow will be our last workout during this deload phase and we start a new cycle of 5/3/1 on monday... can't wait.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness

TD 72

starting from yesterday's post, our workouts in the morning are going to be split up into 2 parts: (1) strength lift and (2) a metcon- all the way until tough mudder tri-state.  if HD and i don't miss any planned workouts, we will end off at TD 90 before tough mudder.  that week should also be the next deload week!... i can't believe this 6-month journey is coming to fruition... i was telling HD that the blog will go on, so long as he and i continue to workout together.... i'll just have to change the headline is all, after nov. 12...

as i wrote yesterday, i've learned a little about programming and constantly varying monostructural, weightlifting, and gymnastic exercises... so i decided to take a shot at it for about twenty training days and HD & i will re-evaluate from there.

lift
squat- 5 reps/95lbs, 5 reps/115lbs, 3 reps/135lbs, 5 reps/95lbs, 5 reps/115lbs, 5 reps/135lbs

i wanted to do more squats, but i had to look at the big picture and ease up.  excited to start another cycle of 5/3/1 next week!

"elizabeth"
21-15-9 for time
dips
squat clean (95lbs, scaled down from 135lbs)

here is HD's first round:

results
HD: 13min 28sec     DV: 10min 4sec

afterward, i felt fresh throughout the whole day, so maybe this is the answer to maintaining energy levels.... haha, not overdoing it in the morning, yet working at high intensity.

we're taking a rest day tomorrow, so talk to you all on thursday!

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness

TD 71

so i had a blast during the CrossFit Level 1 certificate course... i really hope i passed the test and can officially be called a CrossFit trainer!  my classmates and i are on the oct. 11th entry of the main site:

end of day 1: aftermath of "fran"

this morning HD and i began our deload week of 5/3/1 and kept it basic.  we split up our session into 2 parts: (1) lift and (2) moderate treadmill run.

lift
bench press- 5 reps/115lbs, 5 reps/145lbs, 3 reps/175lbs, 5 reps/115lbs, 5 reps/145lbs, 5 reps/175lbs

it felt really good to deload... haha not gonna lie.

treadmill
35mins @ 7.5mph & 1.5% incline
total: 4.08 miles, approx. 499 calories burned

later on in the day, right before dinner, i ended up running 3 miles around my neighborhood.  i have to keep in mind that the urbanathlon is around the corner.

and that was it.

this past weekend was such a great learning experience, i just don't have the words to explain how happy i am.  i got tips on how to fix my form, what to look for in other people's form, programming, nutrition, etc... also met some excellent people.  great weekend!

Chuck Carswell & Joe DeGain

lunch time at Guerrilla Fitness CrossFit Morristown

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness

TD 69 & TD 70

today, HD and i conducted a two-a-day to catch up with workouts since i will be attending the CrossFit Level I seminar all weekend.  in the morning we completed week #3 of 5/3/1 w/overhead presses:

TD 69

click me

we decided that it'd be overkill if we did a metcon in the morning and afternoon since we are going heavy with overhead presses and deadlifts.  we ended the session and went to work.  HD recorded gains after the 6th set of overhead presses while i stayed the same.  as i've stated before, as long as my squats & deads level up, i don't mind plateauing with my presses for the moment.

after work, we met at the gym for TD 70
we split the session up into 2 parts: (1) lifts and an (2) AMRAP

lifts
superset
deadlifts- 5 reps/115lbs, 5 reps/145lbs, 3 reps/170lbs, 5 reps/215lbs, 3 reps/245lbs, 6 reps/275lbs
leg curls- 12 reps/65lbs x 5, no 6th set

quad set x 5
walking lunge- 20 steps w/25lbs plates in each hand
15 bicycles
15 weighted situps (25lbs)
15 flutter kicks (4-count)

HD & i definitely got stronger w/our deadlifts, so i was pretty pleased about that.  i can't wait to deload next week...

last, 15min AMRAP
12 hand release pushups
6 pullups
12 push thrus
6 dips

definitely do not sleep on this one.  the HR pushups sneak up on you.

results
HD: 8 rounds +11 HR pushups
DV: 10 rounds +12 HR pushups, 6 pullups, 12 push thrus, 2 dips

... i wish i at least finished my 11th round... i hate coming close like.  every second counts and next time i won't waste it taking unnecessary rest breaks.

and that's basically that.  i'm pretty excited about having a CrossFit weekend and don't know what to expect really.  i've studied the fundamentals manual and am looking forward to learning more!

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness

TD 68

HD and i split up this morning's session into 3 parts: (1) light treadmill run, (2) a timed workout, and (3) cool-down on the bike.

warmup - treadmill
13min @ 7.3mph, 1.5% incline
total: 1.58 miles, approx. 193 calories burned

then, 2 rounds for time
400 meter shuttle run
15 thrusters (75lbs)
15 pullups

this killed me.  my right lat was acting up again and i had to keep stretching it after the warmup while HD conducted his rounds.  as soon as i went, it had no choice but to adapt or die.  currently, it doesn't feel sore, so maybe this morning did the trick.

results
HD: 7min 28sec     DV: 7min 10sec

last, cool-down
10mins on the bike @ level 5
total: 2.3 miles, approx. 61 calories burned

we're going to take tomorrow off to recover since we had busy days today.  however, on friday, we're going to conduct a two-a-day: so technically TD 69 will be in the morning and TD 70 will be in the afternoon to finish out week 3 of 5/3/1...

the next two evenings, i have to start looking over the CrossFit Level I study guide in preparation for this weekend's course.

in other news, today we lost Steve Jobs.  he truly was an original and a genuine contributor to mankind.

stay hungry. stay foolish.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

to Steve.

-DV _ level ^ fitness

TD 67

it seemed after yesterday morning that we were ready to tackle this training day... haha, but for some reason, both our energy levels were low.  our bodies must know that this is the third week of 5/3/1 (being the one were you lift your "heaviest").  so instead of trying to push it this morning, we only did our lifts and called it a day.  below is our ouput:

click me

toes to bar immediately after a high-rep hack squat is considerably challenging... proceed with caution haha.  despite having low energy levels, i was pretty satisfied on my last set of squats.  based on percentages, my 1RM has gone up 10lbs and is calculated at 252lbs.  i want to keep after it and push my way into the 3's.  i know it'll take a lot of hard work and i know that the last thing i want to do is try to get to that point in a hurry... persistence and patience are some of the keys.

all in all, we have a scheduled rest day on tuesday- then we're knocking out three training days in a row.  i have to squeeze in some study time to go over CrossFit Level 1 knowledge before the weekend, on top of work and school.  hopefully on wednesday, HD and i just destroy the training day to make up for today.

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cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness

TD 66

HD and i split up the session into three parts: (1) lifts, (2) a timed work, and (3) cool-down on the bike.

click me

i was proud of HD's progress as he killed his last set.  what was once 3 reps at 175lb a few weeks ago, has turned into 11 reps at 175lbs now...  i think he can start messing around with weight over 200lbs!  as for me, i stayed at 4 reps at 275lbs.  i wouldn't say that it's disappointing that i may have plateaued on the bench press for now because it seems that all of my other major lifts are getting better... probably catching up to my bench!  with that said, i can't be mad at that- haha just glad i didn't get weaker from this program.

moreover, i think that we're getting really strong with our hang clean & jerks... probably turning out to be my favorite lift...

next, 3 rounds for time
18 dumbbell hang squat cleans (20lbs each hand)
18 pullups
10 power cleans (85lbs)
10 handstand pushups

here's part of HD's first round:

our forearms for the pullup part of this WOD were burning... probably from the lifts and i gotta say that's the part that made the WOD in its entirety so challenging.  another observation is that our handstand pushups are really coming along and i see that we're getting stronger at them.

results
HD: 23min 01sec     DV: 11min

last, cool-down
10mins on the bike @ level 5
total: 2.02 miles, approx. 60cal burned

all in all very productive training day i think.  can't wait to do it again in a few hours.

get involved w/or donate to the Wounded Warrior Project

cheers,

-DV _ level ^ fitness

in memoriam: Lance Corporal Christopher Cosgrove (1983-2006)

it's crazy to think that it's been 5 years since he passed away... and every year since then, i always start october by remembering him.  i'm not going to try to act like i knew him well, but from what i do know, is that he was a good man and a good Marine.  he was one of the first Marines to show me around the unit after i checked-in from SOI.  super-motivated to get the job done in iraq, pumped to get married when he got back from deployment, and super inquisitive in securing a civilian job thereafter- that is the man i will always remember.

he was the 61st service member that died in support of OEF & OIF from nj and he sure wasn't the last- as our men & women continue to give their all over there.  it's because of them i stay humble and keep inspired to do my best in spreading awareness about military charities and other good causes in general.

rest in peace bud & from the bottom of my heart, thanks for everything.

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will never forget.


-DV _ level ^ fitness