Maximus Lewin Strength And Condtioning

Benchmark Update

2010-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have not updated this blog in some time, however I have improved in quite a few areas.

I am currently doing Wendler's 5/3/1 and working out every other day. I am doing assistance exercises, conditioning and climbing all on the same day with a day off between everything, which is working well. Recommended for the over-40 set.

Benchmarks: recent PRs in italic;

Hips
-100 free squats L2
-295 lb back squat (1.5x bw) L3 April 2009
-405x2 lb deadlift 2.25x+ bw) L3 Aug 2010
-24 inch standing vertical jump L2 2009
Push
-50Push-ups L2 Oct 2007
-30 Push-ups on rings L3
-235 lb Bench Press (1.3x bw) L3 Aug 2010
-175 lb Shoulder Press (.96x bw) L3 Aug 2010
-11 HSPU L3 July 2010
-21 Dip on rings L2 Oct 2007
Pull
-20-foot Rope Climb (no feet) L3 2006
-205 lb Power Clean L3 Aug 2010
-37 Pull-Ups L2 Aug 2010
18 C2B Pull-Ups 11-08
-2 Muscle-up on bar (perfect) L2 April 2008
-6 Muscle-ups on rings (kip) L2 April 2008
-3 Muscle-up on rings from full hang May 2008
Core
-30 V-ups L2
-15 Hanging Knees to Elbows L2
-10 second L-sit L1
-195X2 lb OHS (1x+ bw) L3 CrossFit Games 2009
-Sandbag carry (modified) 100 lbs, 1 mile L3 2007
-2:50 min 800-meter Run L3 - Norcal Sectional 2010
-7:39 min 2000-meter Row May 2009
-Helen: 10:13 L2
-1 mile run 6:27 L2
Speed
-1:11 min 400-meter run L3 Jan 2010
-1:26 min 500-meter Row L3 Dec 2006
-135 lbs Power Snatch L2

Other Benchmarks:

-Cindy 21 + 8 push-ups December 2007
-Clean & Jerk 185 2009
-Fight Gone Bad 309 FGB IV 2009
-Fran 5:45 2007
-Filthy Fifty 21:30 2008
-Grace 4:08 Aug 2010
-Linda 22:31 11-07
-Push-Jerk 195 04.09
-Murph C2B/20# Vest 54:40 Oct 2008

Highest Grade Climbs:

Indoors;
5.11b on-sight 2010
V5 redpoint 2010

Outdoors
5.10a, redpoint 97 feet 2009

Games Training WOD #5

2010-01-21T09:54:00.001-08:00

Warm-Up

1. Jump rope: single-unders, alternating feet, high knees, one foot, front cross, backwards, then 30 double-unders (or 1X max consecutive) for time.

2. Dynamic Stretching

3. Dowel Movements:

i. Behind the neck wide grip press moving into narrow grip as the shoulders warm up.

ii. Snatch hang position: shrug, muscle snatch, power snatch, and full squat snatch.

iii. Snatch bottom start position: snatch deadlift, snatch shrug, muscle snatch, power snatch, and full squat snatch.

iv. Jerk width grip grip and the dowel placed behind the neck: press, push press, jerk.

v. Clean hang position: shrug, muscle clean, power clean, and full squat clean.

vi. Clean bottom start position: clean deadlift, clean shrug, muscle clean, power clean, and full squat clean.

4. Run 800m at 80-85% of max perceived effort. Minimize the sound of all footfalls as much as possible; if this requires slowing down to achieve desired effect slow down as much as necessary.

5. 3X10 wall ball full squat start and finish best form possible. Think about following through on the finish to ensure that ball returns where you want it to.

6. 3X butterfly kipping pull-up practice or attempts. Without letting go of the bar complete 3 C2B pull-ups after each attempt at the butterfly kips.

7. 3X3 muscle-ups. Use rings and the best form you are capable of. Break up the sets if necessary to perform with the best form that you are capable of.

8. 3X3 pistols each leg. Use perfect form or as best as possible and minimum supported if necessary.

Workout: record results and numbers for now I will work on putting together a sheet for entering them into this weekend.

9. Fran C2B (21-15-9 Thruster (95# men, 65# women), C2B pull-ups)

10. Rest 15 minutes keep warm

11. Row 2k

Cool Down:

12. Foam roll focusing particularly on sore or tight areas

13. Static stretching

What You Should Eat

2009-12-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Double Re-Blog

2009-12-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Twelve days of Christmas No-Equipment WODS From CrossFit Virtuosity

Via the blog of Princess Raindrop AKA Boss Arce: she has agreed to be one of my test pilots for the primal/paleo diet - I have been eating mostly this way for two months, during which time I have lost weight and retained performance and I am nearly ready to advocate zone/primal for all. Let me know if you want to join us in this experiment before I roll it out more "officially", probably Jan 1.

"Polly and I attended at talk at Catalyst by Mark Sissons. Mark is the author of the Primal Blueprint, a book about "going primal". Basically reverting back to a diet that more closely resembles what we have evolved to eat - a hunter-gatherer diet. Namely, meats and other natural fat sources (nuts and oil) and carbohydrates coming from vegetables and fruit.

As I see it we have two conflicting evolutionary trends when it comes to food. The first is our physical evolution - what we have evolved to eat over millions of years. The second is our industrial food evolution - how to affordably produce enough food to feed an ever growing population. These two trends don't reconcile with each other and, at some point, in order to achieve optimal health, we have to leave behind the food of convenience that is negatively impacting us physically and financially and eat according to where we've evolved.

I was raised eating rice, bread, pasta, etc. Earlier this year I cut way back on those types of foods and I'll tell you this - life was BORING. Sure I lost weight, got stronger, faster, fitter, ate fat and plenty of meat and tons of eggs and that's all great but I did miss those filling grains. They are comfort foods and it's hard to undo that mind/body connection. Eggs - not so comforting. Meats - not comforting much at all and lots of chewing. I like eating to be brief and intense and I don't like tons of chewing.
- These are the types of things that make it difficult to imagine a life without grains and breads and pasta and BEER. What makes it easier is knowing that it's absolutely the right thing to do for so many reasons, not the least of which is the potential for living really well. I'm not so concerned with living for fucking ever but I would like the time that I am around to be really really good.

- This is why I like the 80/20 rule. 80% primal; 20% not quite. Dairy may be my remaining source of comfort - the 20%".

Double Re-Blog

2009-12-10T06:52:00.001-08:00

12 days of Christmas No-Equipment WODS FromCrossFit Virtuosity

NYC Trip

2009-12-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

720 Pound Tire Flip @ CrossFit Virtuosity

I had a great week in New York: I trained and taught classes at

CrossFit Virtuosity, which may be the most awesome CF Box around.

I got to train with Keith and Jay:

They totally kicked my ass on THIS workout:

10 min AMRAP of the combo (1 rep for cycle) at 135#:
Power Snatch
Back Squat
Rack Jerk
Front Squat
Push Press

Frustrating due to my lousy snatch. I could not even RX it, had to scale to 115# and still got crushed with only 13 rounds. I just could not get two in a row to save my life.

The next day I treated them to THIS lovely workout, perhaps the hardest one I have ever done. I considered leaving the building when all the cursing and yelling started, but of course, they loved it. CFEB will have to do this soon.

5 Rounds:

5 thruster 155/95
10 Burpee

Try it at home!

My response to the message thread on robbwolf.com entitled "The Black Box Summit Or How I Got Fired from the CrossFit Nutrition Certification"

2009-11-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

CrossFit is currently experiencing it's biggest controversy so far, at least on-line. Fallout from the Black Box summit, and the evident firing of Robb Wolf from teaching the nutrition cert has sparked some lively debate:

Robb Wolf on Being Fired from Nutrition Cert

Greg Everett on what happened

Russel Berger on what happened

A rather balanced analysis of what happened

A very interesting take on what happened/is happening

I meant to write a brief, concise post on Robb's blog about this. Brevity, alas, is not my strong suit, and since writing it I had a few thoughts that I wished to include. Here is my opinion for any who care, for the record.

My response to the message thread on robbwolf.com entitled "The Black Box Summit Or How I Got Fired from the CrossFit Nutrition Certification" (edited for clarity)

I have now read all 425 plus comments that came before this, and all of the source material.

I am an affiliate owner (CrossFit East Bay in Oakland CA) and I know or have met many of the principals here. Greg Glassman changed my life, and while I don't revere him as anything more than a fitness visionary, it is, to me, frankly ridiculous how little credit some people are giving him. I will post below his best response to such misunderstandings. For once, I largely agree with Barry Cooper, above.

I am a bit older (43) and have been into fitness since the 1980s. I used to read every fitness magazine I could get my hands on for, I guess, decades. I NEVER saw anything remotely like CF. I never heard of a double-under, a muscle-up, a kipping pull-up, a dynamax ball (or wall-ball), a thruster, a kettlebell, the zone diet, paleo, IF, tabata, etc etc etc. I was vaguely aware that rings existed and that these weird guys in tights lifted huge funny looking weights in the Olympics, and that a rower existed, but it never occurred to me to use these things. I never saw anything remotely like Fight Gone Bad, and I challenge anyone to point me to something like FGB that pre-dates CrossFit. When I discovered CF in 03 or 04 it sounded interesting, and I dabbled, but not until I trained with Josh and Keith at CFNYC Black Box, the 18th affiliate, was my mind blown.

As I said I am a bit older, and have an administration background as well. I am familiar with internecine disputes, and have mediated many. I am disappointed in what I am seeing here from all sides. There is a whole lot of dick-measuring and airing of grievances, old and new, going on. While there may have been some pent-up feeling that needed to be discharged, it has been done, the issues are out there, and, as an affiliate owner and member of this community I ask that we take a deep breath and dial it back a notch on all sides.

This community has experienced explosive growth, and I think it is silly to pretend there are no issues associated with that growth. As a community we have added, are adding, quality on the individual affiliate and regional level daily. It is questionable as to whether HQ is keeping up with or taking advantage of all of the great stuff that is coming out of our open-source fitness model. Simply put, there are some potential, or actual, quality issues. A med ball clean might not be the best progression to the clean. Teaching someone with zero experience how to snatch with a PVC pipe does not prepare them optimally to teach the snatch. The explanation that it is impractical to use barbells with so many people does not hold water. Inconvenient, yes, expensive, yes. Impractical, no. It is possible that the current programming template of .com could be improved. I'm not suggesting I know how, but this is fitness, not religion, and blind allegiance to the .coms is against the spirit of CrossFit. To quote Greg Glassman speaking to me personally: "the next big innovation in CrossFit will come from outside of my intuition". It is clear that a whole foods diet is healthier than Zoning Pringles, Coors Lite and Skirt steak (personally I think zone/paleo + milk is the way to go). The level 1 Cert is not as valuable a product as it was when Coach taught them himself (I have been to both versions). The .com only to prepare for the games is not optimal unless one already has perfect balance in all 10 areas of fitness. Even then training once a day to prepare for a multi-day multi-event competition would be insanity.

Recently one of my athletes started training the O-lifts with Greg Everett. This forced me to recognize that what I had learned so far in CF regarding the O-lifts was demonstrably inferior (but still an order of magnitude better than what I knew before CF, i.e. zilch). I admitted my sub-optimal teaching to my athletes and we are now working on improving our O-lifts, but not at the expense of GPP or not following a .com-like template.

Greg Glassman and CrossFit have given us all an incredible gift, for which I am truly thankful, but they have started a wildfire which cannot be easily managed or neatly compartmentalized. That does not have to be a bad thing. Another local product, eBay, was also started on a wing and a prayer - basically not even a beta product thrown out there. Subsequently, the owners started reacting to every piece of feedback they received and built a killer app. Their community base is the basis of their success and they jealously build, guard and protect it. CrossFit should do the same. Listen. Grow. Evolve.

I know Greg Glassman and I believe in him as a businessman, fitness visionary and really just a good down-to-earth guy. I have had my issues with HQ and I know this is not the kindest, gentlest organization on earth, but given what we do doesn't that make a certain amount of sense?

Now goddammit! Let's chalk to the elbows and get back to working out!

See you in the garage.

Maximus Bernard Lewin
Owner, Lead Trainer
CrossFit East Bay
info@crossfiteastbay.com
510.910.2919

Post thoughts to comments.

13th Anniversary of My 30th Birthday

2009-11-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

November 11, 2009

13th Anniversary of Max's 30th Birthday

7:15PM

Delta-Force Hit-and-Run Dinner @ Taqueria La Familla

8PM

Salsa Dancing at Down Low

It has been a long-time goal of mine to learn to dance, and get over my phobia of same. And, according to Coach Dr. Mock, I am ready for the world.

So come amuse yourself by seeing me break out in a cold sweat and run, humiliated and sweaty, into the night. Or, possibly, dance.

Down Low:
Wednesdays | Live Salsa Bands
Beginner lessons from 8-8:45
Intermediate lessons from 8:45-9:30
$10 cover, $5 w/student ID
$4 margarita special
Map

CrossFit East Bay: CrossFit Games 2010

2009-11-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

Apollonia May 2009, Norcal Qualifier

We are now 9 months out from the CrossFit Games 2010. Greg Glassman has stated that the games are an opportunity for affiliates to show the strength of their programming.

Last year we decided late to enter the games; for the Affiliate Cup we gambled and lost on a dark horse strategy, which involved a lot of long grueling metcon (long time domains by CF standards). We chose this strategy because we had limited time to develop tons of power or strength; it takes quite a while to get strong, while developing work capacity can be done fairly quickly. Because of (or perhaps despite) this we finished 68th of 97 teams.

For the individual competition, Apollonia also had limited time to prepare, but thanks to Gita's brilliant 11-day preparation and her inherent athleticism and powerful work ethic, she qualified for the games in 5th place, but far ahead of the next nearest competititor. With good, hard training, she placed 34th at the games, and, notably, improved enough against the moving targets of the the Norcal Competitors that she placed higher than everyone who beat her at the Norcal Qualifier previously.

This year we know far in advance that we will participate in the competitive season, and therefore, We will tailor our programming to that end. Given the fact that CrossFit East Bay is dedicated to old-school CF principals, most of the training will be fully scalable, and we will offer a compelling fitness experience for anyone who wants to train hard and get results.

The next three months will be old-school CF GPP (generalized physical preparedness). However, our Max Effort work will be less varied than CF main for this period. The reasons for this being a good or bad idea could fill a very long article. Suffice to say this will make it easier for us to gauge what kind of progress we are making. We will also be working on short metcon, long metcon, light (bodyweight-ish) metcon and heavy metcon. We will deadlift heavy every week, either as Max Effort day or as a metcon with weights of up to 315/205. We will also do Max Effort Clean & Jerk at least 2X a month. While some suggest teaching the snatch first (because it is harder), I am choosing to work on my own snatch, including getting high level instruction, before committing to teaching it in a serious manner.

In addition to the above we will be working a lot on Overhead Squats, Muscle-Ups, HSPU and Double-Unders (because they take the longest to learn). Also expect to learn to back squat.

The training template is HERE.

The subsequent training will be developed once we know more about the schedule and format, however, if possible we will spend significant time getting as strong as possible (think Deadlift, Squat, Press, Bench Press, Sled Drag, Tire Flip, etc.) while still gaining some capacity. Following that, I hope to have a well-designed volume overload scheme which will bring us right to the brink of ~~despair~~ overtraining/overreaching followed by a back-off, followed by a cycle of escalating intensity but lowered volume. In all cases, I hope to avoid the scenario of last year when we were a bit spun-down (if super-conditioned) coming up to our competitions. Some of us definitely peaked the week after the games. Recovery will be much more at the forefront this year. Training will be the new overtraining. The above may have to be repeated multiple times in micro-cycles (sectionals, regionals, games)

Bad Girl Open 091018

2009-10-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Power Weight Challenge Day Five

2009-10-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent 3-block meal, courtesy of Trader Joe's

- 1 package Thai String Beans with 2/3 of 1 sauce pack (the sauce packs are mostly sugar and have 30 grams/3 blocks of total carb)
- 1 patty Trader Joe's 96/4% beef

Calories in: 1550
Calories out: 3300
Negative calorie balance: 1750

WOD "A" Row 5K 20:59
WOD "B" Boulder one hour (got a few V2s)

P/W Challenge Day Five: Equalibrium

2009-10-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Cal in: 2400
Cal out: 2800
Negative Cal balance = 400

WOD - none.

Ready to attack it again tomorrow.

P/W Challenge Day Four

2009-09-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

Cal in: 1400
Cal out: 3450
Neg balance 2050

This is a bit too much neg calorie balance, but I am quite surprisingly not hungry. I have been eating pretty much nothing but zone-ish portions of meat, veg, fruit, nut, seed and coffee. Go figure. 1500 negative calorie balance a day is probably the upper limit of sustainable, safe, healthy weight loss. That would result in 3 pounds lost a week, some of it likely muscle: in the past I have lost 2.5 pound fat .5 pounds of muscle on such a diet.

WOD "A" 5K row in 20:24

WOD "B": 2.5 hours of moderate bouldering

P/W Challenge Day Three

2009-09-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Intake:

Protein: 165g
Carb: 129g
Fat: 76g

Cal: 1810

Output: 3331

Negative Calorie balance: 1521

WOD: 10K Row in 42:44

CrossKitchen: Enter The Zone

2009-09-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

From CFEB; By Daniel on September 28, 2009 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'd like to take a moment to call out our friend and fellow athlete Raphael Dozzi. Now, athletically speaking, Raph has a few things going for him that make him a great CrossFitter: yes, he's young and has good genes, but he's also dogmatic about coming to as many workouts in a week as he can, and making up those he can't. And we've all seen the passionate intensity he brings to his workouts.

All of this is great, but I could also point to several other CFEB regulars who share the same traits. So why am I focusing on Raph this week? Because lately Raph has an ally in his corner that, to my knowledge, none of the rest of us (besides Max) do: the Zone diet. Since he started zoning strictly, Raph's performance has gone through the roof - he's been shedding bodyfat noticeably, his Clean & Jerk is one of the best in CFEB, and his Fight Gone Bad went from an already respectable 270 to a very impressive 306. At that level, a 36 point jump in your Fight Gone Bad score does not just happen - it is a solid indicator of athletic improvement.

His story, while impressive, is not unique - you read about it all the time from CrossFitters who fix their diet, typically by starting the Zone. The Zone Diet is the official diet of CrossFit. While variations of Paleo are also popular, Zone is what they taught me at my level 1 cert, and Zone is the first thing they advocate on CrossFit.com. Nearly all the top performers at the Games swear by the Zone. I've even heard that CrossFit NorCal (Robb Wolf's box), flat out will not let you join the gym unless you agree to eat Zone.

I blush to confess that I have never personally tried the Zone. I am intimidated by all the math that's involved. I almost never use measuring implements when I cook, much less the scale. But inspired by Raph, I've resolved to put my misgivings behind me and commit to going strict Zone for the month of October - and I invite you to join me. I will dedicate CrossKitchen for the month of October to an exploration of the Zone, and share with you any recipes, tips and insights that I gain, and hope you will do the same. 30 days, and we can blow it all out in style on Halloween. Let's do this thing!

OK!...but...uh...what is the Zone?

Sorry. I got ahead of myself there. First things first: the Zone Diet is a somewhat unique take on dieting invented by Dr. Barry Sears. His theory is that the human body performs optimally on a diet wherein the ratio of each meal is 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrates. When eating this way, the body enters a "Zone" where it is firing on all cylinders, easily converting bodyfat to energy and sidestepping the rollercoaster of hormone release caused by eating things all out of proportion.

You can read more at the official Zone Diet website, but it's something of a marketing nightmare. I would encourage you instead to consult the Bible of the Zone for Crossfitters: Journal issue #21. It's freely available, and packed with far more practical information in an easy-to-read format than any of the Zone materials I've read. I will endeavor to provide a quick overview here, but if you're serious about trying this I highly recommend reading the journal article at least.

A quick rundown: Meet the Block

The Zone Diet is built out of "blocks." A block is made of 7 grams of protein, 1.5 grams of fat and 9 grams of carbohydrates. Consuming food in these proportions will meet the 30/30/40 requirement.

The next step is figuring out how many blocks you should eat in a day. There is a calculation for that. Here's what you do: head over to my blog, and on the right you'll see a bodyfat calculator. Fill in your numbers, and you'll get a lean body weight. Multiply this number by 0.7, then divide by 7 for your block count. Using me as an example: a lean body mass of 157 times 0.7 comes to 110, divided by 7 comes to 15.7, so I can eat 16 blocks a day. This could be four 4-block meals, or (more likely) three 4-block meals and two 2-block snacks, or... well, the permutations are extensive.

(Side note: if you are already at a very low bodyfat (ie, 8% for men, 13% for women), then you should double or triple the amount of fat you're allowed in each block, or risk losing too much weight).

Practical application

CFJ #21 is full of helpful tips on how to convert all these numbers into actual food that you can eat. Take one food from the protein column, one from carbs and one from fat and you have a block of food - multiply quantities for more blocks. Or just pick something from the sample menus. There are also plenty of online resources for zone recipes. If I find anything particularly compelling, I'll be sure to share it - I hope you'll do the same for me.

So who's on board?

Anyone else ready to take the plunge? Sound off in the comments! Questions? Fire away and Max, Raph and I can do our best to clear up confusion.

CFEB P/W Challenge Day Two

2009-09-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

10AM: 1 cup 2% milk = 1 block

2PM: 9 oz pork loin, one apple, one tomato, .5 avocado = 5 blocks

8PM: 9 oz hamburger, 12 oz broccoli, 10 oz papaya, 5 oz strawberries = 6 blocks

10PM 5 oz strawberries, 5 oz papaya, 4 oz cottage cheese = 2 blocks

WOD "A": Row 10K; 42:24

WOD "B": GWPC Boulder comp problems 1-12 (fail on 13, 5 attempts)

Calories: 1600
Negative calorie balance: 2140

CFEB P/W Ratio Challenge Day 1

2009-09-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Stats:
Weight - 199#
BF% -21.5%
Lean Mass 156#
Fat Mass 43#
Max Rep C2B 6
Max Rep HSPU 1
Max Rep 1.5XBW DL (300#) in one minute: 14

Food Log:

11AM: Cup 2% Milk (with coffee), 9 oz apple, 9 oz tomato, one egg + 4 egg whites, trace olive oil = 4 blocks

5PM: Two TJ's Chicken Patties, 9 oz tomato, 5 oz apple, 8 oz mushroom, 2 tsp butter = 6 blocks

10PM: NSA (No Sugar Added) Frozen Yogurt, 1 oz Kiwi, .5 oz shredded coconut, .5 oz almonds, 20 g protein powder = 3 blocks

Block Total = 13 blocks
Cal= 1404
Neg Cal Balance = 1800

WOD: Bouldering;
V0x3
V1X2
V2X2
V2 (fail)
V3 (fail)

CrossFit East Bay Power/Weight Challenge Part Two

2009-09-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

CrossFit East Bay Power/Weight Challenge Part Two

You may self-report your stats on the challenge page in comments. You will have to use a different method of ascertaining lean mass and bodyfat if you are self-reporting. Use the calculator here:

http://onrockrockon.blogspot.com/ - This calculator is NOT accurate for athletes, but it will measure the difference just fine.

You will have to use the same method at the conclusion of the challenge.

Please report:

1. Bodyweight
2. % Bodyfat
3. % Fat Mass
4. % Lean Mass
5. Max Rep Deadlift @ 1.5X BW
6. Max number of C2B Pull-Ups
7. Max number of Static HSPU
8. Max number of muscle-ups
9. Max number of static muscle-ups

See standards, below.

Here
is the format for the Power/Weight Challenge: This is specifically NOT
a weight loss challenge, those might be fine for TV, but focusing only
on weight lost is simplistic and not for athletes, some of who need to
gain, not lose, weight.

Losing "weight" is really, really easy.
Losing fat mass, without losing significant lean mass (muscle, bone) is
difficult. Losing fat mass while gaining muscle mass is quite difficult
indeed but by no means impossible. Gaining muscle for some is just as
hard as losing fat is for others.

So: each participant will pony up $50.00 for each 5 week challenge, winner take all.
Here is part two of the body comp challenge. Please note the changes.

Stats
will be taken at the beginning and end of each challenge, including
lean body mass/body fat using a decent bioelectrical impedence scale.
Come fully hydrated for each test to minimize the error of the scale
(it actually measures total body water and extrapolates LBM from that).
Picture optional.

Challenge "A" will run from Sunday, July 27th to Sunday August 30th
Challenge "B" will run from Sunday September 27th to Sunday November 1st.

Each participant will choose a goal:

"Beanpole" - gain weight
"Chubs" - lose weight

Points are assigned thusly:

Beanpole - 1 point per pound of mass gained.
Chubs - 1 point per pound of fat lost

1.5X BW Deadlift
One point for each additional point above baseline, including zero.

C2B Pull-Ups:
One point for each additional point above baseline, including zero.

Static HSPU
One point for each additional point above baseline, including zero (first HSPU may be kipped all subsequent reps must be static).

Muscle-ups:
Two points for each additional point above baseline, including zero (first muscle-up can be from bent arm, all subsequent reps must be from full lockout).

Static Muscle-Ups
Three points for each additional point above baseline, including zero.

Achievements:

Tracker: weigh and measure and count calories/macro-nutrient ratios of all food consumed (estimate at restaurants). Provide proof in the form of a journal or printed Fitday or similar software pages : 1 point
Blogger Bonus: share your intake and WODs with the world: 2 points (3 total including above)
Zoner Lite: Eat in "The Zone" 5.5 days per week - 1 point
Hardcore Zoner: Eat in "The Zone" all but one meal per week - 2 points
Fanatic Zoner: Eat ALL meals and snacks in "The Zone" - 3 points
Sweetie: No sugar, no sweeteners of any kind, same rules as No-Sugar Challenge - 1 point
Paleo Lite: No grains or sweetners of any kind - 2 points
Pure Paleo: No Dairy, no grains, no sweeteners, no legumes, no tubers, no coffee, no alcohol - 3 points
Performer: lose all fat and no muscle or gain muscle without gaining fat - 2 points.

Zone Low-GI, Matched Carb/Pro Italian Tuna Salad

2009-08-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

20 0z Chunk White Tuna

4 TSP Olive Oil

2 TSP Balsamic Vinegar

1 Cup Cherry Tomato

1/2 Cup Artichoke Hearts

1/2 Finely Chopped Red Onion

Juice of 1/4 lemon

TBSP Capers

10 Dried Black Olives

Chopped Dill to taste

Salt, Pepper to taste

2 cups (Dry) Whole Wheat Rotella Pasta

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Enjoy. To make this paleo, omit the pasta and make up the missing carb blocks (about 110 g carbs)

13 protein blocks (these are 10 gram blocks)
13 carb blocks
13 fat blocks

CrossFit East Bay Games Prep

2009-07-06T14:36:00.003-07:00

CrossFit East Bay Games Prep from Maximus Lewin on Vimeo.

Here is video from our CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup prep series.

We (Gita D. and I) realized early in our training that we did not have the time to equal bigger stronger teams in terms or pure strength or power. It simply takes too long (years) to get really, really strong. For sure we will be working on this going forward into 2011 and 2012.

Instead we chose a dark horse strategy based on interpretations of Coach G's statements over the past year that we we chose to regard as clues. When I spoke with Coach at last year's games he stated that in 2010 he wanted it to be ungameable. The phrase he used was "farm work for time". He also mentioned an obstacle course. I read into the article coach posted with the phrase "an army lives on it's legs" as suggesting work capacity would be paramount. Finally, there is a remark buried in one of the videos where coach says the Games is an opportunity for affiliates to show the superiority of their programming, perhaps hinting that main site WODs might not be the best prep for the games.

Taking into consideration the logistical set up of The Ranch we supposed that one way to try to make it ungameable was carry heavy objects up the hill, stage them and work out with them at the top and/or along the way. We guessed that sandbags would be one way to do this, and, in fact, there are now many sandbags on The Ranch equipment list.

So: we focused on building capacity, teamwork and being comfortable in a variety of hostile environments (in the above video it is 109F). We also did some urban forest obstacle work. Another staple of our training was hill run metcons along the lines of Cath-22 from the Norcal qualifier. We worked out hard twice on Sundays for six weeks to prepare for the games format.

Once we chose our team, we built on our capacity base and have tried to optimize team members as "Tank", "Ninja" and "Hybrid".

If the event(s) is long-ish (20 minutes+) and focused on pure work capacity we expect to do well. If is a heavy weight metcon (like some of the NorCal Throwdowns), we expect solid mediocrity.

We have taken a bit of gamble here, but we feel it was our best shot, and, no matter what happens, I am very proud of my team and happy with the work they put in.

We are looking forward to game day.

More on Polly's individual training to come.

The "Tank" Series

2009-07-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

I will be posting a series of articles about CrossFit East Bay's 2009 Games prep over the next few days.

We persued a "Dark Horse" strategy for the Affiliate Cup training. When we decided to seriously train for the Affilate Cup this year rather than next, as had originally been my plan, we realized a number of things:

- There was simply no way, given six weeks of training (plus a one-week taper) that we could match teams made up of D-1 football players in their 20s, etc. in pure strength or power. It simply takes too long to get seriously strong, and as a newer affiliate without any "ringers" we just don't have the muscle.

- It was possible to build serious work capacity in six weeks given our decent existing base.

- Less conventional methods would give us a long shot of doing very well and a fair chance of achieving mediocrity.

I will write more on the conditiong methods we used and why (hint: Coach G. made an offhand remark to me last year about "Farm Work For Time" and obstacle courses that I took seriously).

In the last few weeks we chose our team and tightened our focus. My job was to "face reality" as Torquemada put it, and get as strong as humanly possible in the last couple of weeks available along with increasing my capacity and eating tons of food. My dreams of being an underwear model have been defered.

Above is picured one of my "Tank" workouts:

12-9-6

Deadlift 315#
Thruster 135#

Time 7:44

There is no question that I am now as strong as I have ever been, my capacity is excellent and my running is decent. However due to my high bodyfat (19%) pull-ups and HSPUs are hard and muscle-ups are if not impossible, very, very hard.

Weights that once seemed heavy are now a joke. I could DL 225# for reps all day.

Muliti-Modal WOD Improvment Protocol

2009-06-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

165x5 Push-Press, now pretty easy!

The eternal question: how should I best improve my WOD times?

Let's look at "Helen".

CrossFitter "X" comes to the WOD initially unable to get C2B pull-ups or swing the RX KB. It makes sense for them to scale (in fact there is no other possibility). At this point time to completion is immaterial: they have glaring deficiencies and should simply work towards getting the WOD RX at which point they will have clearly improved.

Once it can be done RX, I recommend approaching improvement from several directions simultaneously:

A: improve components through monomodal workouts, in this case, 400 M sprints, high-rep pull-ups, heavy KB swings. Does needing extra work mean the WODs are ineffective? No. Go to the main site and start looking over the programming. I guarantee you will find an example of, for instance, ME Front squat, ME Push-Press, Weighted Pull-Up, followed by Fran. CrossFit is not simply the metcons, but a sophisticated and artful periodization scheme (undulating periodization to be exact).

B: Doing the WOD as fast as possible, commensurate with virtuosity. I don't consider 1/2-assed form done blazingly fast to be legit or even RX. However in the case of Helen, if the KB is overhead knees, hips, elbows in full extension, and the athlete goes from full lockout to touching the bar to chest on every rep it would be pretty hard to complain. The benchmarks are just that and are there to measure progress. There are plenty of other one-off WODs where you can go balls-out, and in fact will not be able to game as easily as they are unfamiliar.

C: Doing the WOD focusing on weak points as in THIS example of selling out on the runs: it is a valid point that if you have trouble doing swings/pull-ups winded, you can improve by working that part of it.

I have found, over the years, that the inelegant method of throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks works rather better than seemingly better thought out schemes.

The Last Weak Link

2009-06-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

C2B Fran

There is definitely one last major chink in my armor, performance wise. You can see the culprit in the upper right of the photo above.

We did C2B Fran yesterday, and my performance was abysmal, despite being able to do 21 unbroken thrusters. Strength only goes so far when your body composition is, shall we say, sub-optimal. While I have no illusions of being an underwear model, this level of bodyfat is really holding me back.

I calculated my input/output with Fitday yesterday, something I have gotten out of the habit of doing. I was surprised to see I ate a few hundred calories more than I expended, even though I meant to eat less. As the last few month demonstrate, this is an outstanding protocol for gaining strength while keeping bodyfat levels constant but, clearly, to lean out I need to (obsessively) track everything, as my natural tendency is to very slightly overeat. As we know a few hundred extra calories a day can add up to a lot over a year. It may well be that I need to write down everything I eat, every day, for the rest of my life, or until I stop caring about my body comp. I hope not.

Strong Enough? Yes!

2009-06-04T11:19:00.001-07:00

195 pound overhead 60 foot barbell carry @ CF1W Throwdown: Andy and I moved 2750 pounds of plates this way in 14 minutes for the win.

Our recent affiliate cup training has yielded excellent results. 10 weeks of our own programming has yielded the best results I have ever experienced in all areas except one (more below).

Recent benchmarks:

-Deadlift 400#
-Squat 300#
-Bench Press 235# (easy, could maybe do 245#)
-Overhead Squat 195#
-Press 160#
-Push-Jerk 195#

I did the Mid-Atlantic qualifier WOD "B" yesterday:

3 rounds
10 deadlift 275#
50 double-under

5:45

This was done outside in a high wind: fairly certain I could approach 4 minutes in more controlled circumstances with my own rope. The 275 DL that seemed so hard at the CFO OPD fundraiser seemed not like a joke, but really quite easy. The really interesting thing about this, and all of the strength benchmarks above, is that I have done very, very little strength work in the last 10 weeks, but a lot of "stengthcons", with much higher weight than in previous years metcons. It works.

My conditioning is excellent, and my muscle mass is the highest it has ever been 157 pounds of lean mass!

The only thing that has not changed is my bodyfat. Still hovering around 20%, even up a bit from a few weeks back.

I am starting a very conservative cutting cycle today to take me up to the CF games: I am going to aim for a 500 calorie deficit each day on average, with the goal being to burn one pounds worth of fat each week. The goal is simply to not lose any muscle mass and lose 5 pounds of pure bodyfat, or 191 pounds at 18% bodyfat, lean mass of 157. I think this is the single greatest performance enhancer I can get.

Post-games, I will start a 10 week cutting cycle, also very, very conservative to try and take off another 10 pounds using the same protocol. That would put me at 181 pounds and around 14% bodyfat, 157 lean, which I think is a realistic bodyweight/bodyfat percentage and should make bodyweight movements like muscle-ups, etc., not to mention running a lot easier.

Strengthening the Chain

2009-05-31T08:40:00.001-07:00

Back in March, after the first NorCal Throwdown CFEB attended at Diablo CrossFit, I wrote this post: "I Am The Weakest Link".

I identified a lack of conditioning and bad body composition as the culprits.

10 weeks of intense training later, Team CFEB and I are at an order of magnitude higher of conditioning, and it seems, personally, every I time I touch a barbell lately I get a PR. Did I mention I'm pushing 43?

Our conditioning was evident at the CF1W Throwdown yesterday, where we won by a nose. In the first event we screwed up our strategy a bit and were behind on the 800 meter 100# sandbag carry. All three of us (Andy, Alex, Me) passed the slowest guy on their team: personally, while the other teams were wearing out, I had what it took to go faster and faster at the end. On the second event, which involved running with a barbell overhead, only Andy and I were able to overhead 195 pounds which contributed to our victory.

Also lately CFEB records are falling left and right and many of us are setting PRs frequently: this is more impressive as I am not talking about beginners, but long-time athletes. I have deadlifted 400, overhead squatted 195, strict pressed a 71 pound kettlebell, hit new metcon PRs, and as above we won the latest throwdown.

Torquemada has convinced me somewhat reluctantly not to publicize our training but I will say this:

It is not the .coms.
It is most certainly pure CrossFit
It is unconventional
It improves teamwork
It recognizes individual differences
It falls on the outside of the typical CF time domain
It is somewhat high volume
It relys on, rather than strength bias, weakness bias. Figure that one out and you will start making huge progress, I guarantee it.

I am no longer the weakest link.

Long Time Coming

2009-05-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

I finally broke the mental barrier and Deadlifted 400 pounds! I'm fairly certain I will start making linear progress again now. I think I can officially say I am now as strong as I have ever been, and while it may not be at an all time high, my capacity is now decent: the last time I was almost this strong coming off of a pure strength cycle in 07 I was glacially slow, could barely run or do pull-ups.

Interestingly I have been doing almost no direct strength work, but lots of "stengthcons", like the "Catch 22" WOD that started with 22 Deadlifts at 315#. Just lots of brutally hard metcons and big volume in general.

I addition my running is decent again, I suspect I could break 3:00 in an 800 again. I have gotten a bunch of new PRs lately, 5 HSPU, Strict Press 2.0P Kettlebell, 185X2 OHS, etc.

The only things that are not at peak are pure capacity, pull-ups and muscle-ups (have not done one in almost a year). This is a combo of my weight, and my elbow issues.

However: if my bodyfat scale is at all accurate, I am now at an all time peak of lean mass 158.5 pounds at a bodyweight of 192, 17.5% bodyfat.

When I started this journey, I was 215 pounds, 36% bodyfat and only 138 pounds of lean mass. That means I have stacked on 20 pounds of solid lean mass, from my late 30s to my early 40s. Not bad!

Readiness

2009-05-19T08:21:00.001-07:00

The last week has been of (for me) high volume for various reasons. Mostly planned. I am trying to cultivate a mindset of being ready for anything, anytime. This is of course primarily athletic, but, again, it seems to be creeping into my regular life, in a good way. Ramping up for the Affiliate Cup, I have added both volume and intensity to my training and that of the Affiliate Cup team. I really pushed myself to the ragged edge last week. More on that in a moment, but first let's look at what I did:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 2 mile hill run
Wednesday: Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

325-375-385-395-395-400 (fail, moved it)-400 (fail nailed to the deck).

This was a major math fail. I somehow failed to put 400 on the bar, and I got just insanely pumped up to do it. I did 395 twice. It came up easily, and, on the plus side I BELIEVED it was 400, so I may be over my metal problems with 400. I am certainly going to try this again next week.

395 is tied for a lifetime PR, and I have not lifted this much since 2007.

Thursday:
Run One Mile
100 Squats
Run 800 Meters
75 Push-Ups
Run 400 Meters
50 Burpees
Run 200 Meters
25 "GI Janes"
Run One Mile

Time: 41:25

Friday:

Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
75 pound Sumo deadlift high-pull, 21 reps
75 pound Thruster, 21 reps

Time: 25:20

Finisher:

15-9-6

Ring Dip
Burpee

Time: 7:59

Saturday:
Olympic Lifting Seminar (3 hours in hot sun)
C&J 175, tied for lifetime PR.

Grace:
Time: 7:30, far off of PR

Sunday,
Affiliate Cup WOD "A"
15 minutes of very hard work

Affiliate Cup WOD "B"
90 minutes of slog

+25 plus hours of training others.

By the time we got to WOD "B" I was cooked. I tried to get myself psyched up, but I simply ran out of energy. I could not get any intensity going, no matter how hard I tried. What should have been a 45 minute workout took me 90 minutes. I have never hit the wall this hard and not DNF'd. Whether this was a good idea remains to be seen. I have, for a long time, considered volume for the sake of volume to be akin to "junk miles". However, I committed myself and my team to this course of action, and I never considered not following through. I realized pretty quickly I was going to be Dead Fucking Last, and I just plodded through it. I really enjoyed the 50 penalty burpees at the end. Thanks Gita.

So: what is readiness? Committing to a course of action and following through no matter what. Will this yield the results we are hoping for? New strength, capacity and intensity PRs this week for most should tell the tale.

CrossFit Stopwatch Whores

2009-05-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Spencer Nix Of Dallas CrossFit leaves nothing on the table.

This post was inspired by the following response from Spencer Nix of Dallas CrossFit on Dutch Lowry's Blog.

"-THESE GUYS ARE FOCUSED ON THE PROCESS NOT THE OUTCOME. How many of you guys out there are ’stop-watch whores’? You put out a sub 3 minute Fran but half of your thrusters you didn’t push your head all the way through, and 10 of your butterfly pull-ups were technically over the bar but not really? These guys aren’t like that. I get to workout with dutch pretty regularly and ALL his reps count. He is focused on the execution of the rep and not really the stopwatch. OPT - same way; look at all his videos and read the ROM requirements on the blog (borderline obsessed with the process). These guys focus FIRST on doing the movement flawlessly and SECOND on the clock. If your goal is to be the stud of your garage or gym, then this might not pertain to you BUT if your goal is to compete, then this has to be your mindset."

(As an aside, I got the idea for the 50 unbroken burpee finisher yesterday from Spencer).

I definitely started out CF as a SW (Stopwatch Whore). My form was abysmal, and I kidded myself into counting every ugly rep and posting some pretty good times, that, in retrospect, were a joke.

I am very strict with form at my affiliate, and we have transitioned to C2B pull-ups for all WODs for men, with women to join them after the games this year. Some (Andrea, Elaine, Polly, Ynez, Hodges) have made the transition already.

I feel that true excellence in CrossFit requires excellent form, regardless of speed. In some ways I am more impressed with a middle-of-the-pack athlete with HEART who does everything right, than a Firebreathing animal who cuts corners to make their blazing times even hotter. Of course what I really love to see is blazing intensity with excellent form. We want virtuosity!

A search of what people have posted on YouTube is downright embarrassing. I recently saw a 30+ round Cindy and a 2:30-ish Fran in both of which, in my gym, NOT ONE REP would have counted!

And, as pointed out, if you are going to enter the brand-new sport of Competitive CrossFit, your shitty 1/2 reps are not going to cut it.

I am striving to become mentally stronger all the time these days, and part of that is total honesty with myself about my workouts. In the past if I got confused about reps/rounds, etc. I would probably engage in "wishful counting" some of the time. Lately any time I become confused or don't know if I got full ROM (I do the WODs by myself most of the time) I just don't count it and do the extra reps. I have been much more satisfied with my WOD times since doing this. I don't care about being the fastest or the best, but I do care about doing CrossFit with integrity and what I can approach of virtuosity.

Mental Fitness

2009-05-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

I am continuing to improve in my ability to recognize and interrupt negative-self talk and replace it with, as I have heard it said "a different conversation with myself". Interestingly this started as a purely athletic pursuit but it is starting to bleed over into other areas of my life.

I'm resolving to recognize and interrupt all negative self-talk in all areas of my life and replace them with positive and/or useful messages. There is of course a balance, I don't want to become blind to my shortcomings or Pollyanna-ish. for the moment there is no such danger.

I'm working on being able to create the emotional and physical components of successful performance on short notice. All of my recent workouts have been excellent. I turned a moment of doubt into a new PR yesterday: 185#x2 Overhead Squat at a bodyweight of 188#. I'm calling that a double bodyweight squat.

I figured out the kipping HSPU yesterday as well, and was able to get 4 in a row in the WOD.

Today I rowed 1K and I found myself thinking/saying "I don't know if I can hold this pace" at one point. I instantly recognized it and replaced it with "I CAN I MUST I WILL" for the remainder of the row - 3:37 and I ended strong. Happy with it.

I also worked on my snatch form. I got 125# but anything over 115# is with some fairy awful form. I used the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier form, in the video, above, yes I know there is an error in it.

Hill Repeats

2009-05-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

The 22 C2B Pull-Ups in "Catch 22"

I did hill repeats yesterday, which, I am, to say the least, not stellar at. I really had to keep interrupting any negative self-talk (I've done enough, I'm going to be slow, etc.) with positive self-talk (I'm going to fly up this hill, I love doing this, this is going to get me closer to my goals).

I have really resolved not to complain about my workouts to others or myself, just do them and accept them for what they are. After all, I'm really just doing this for my own satisfaction.

Anyway: I managed to go from a state of dread and wimpiness to feeling invincible, powerful and fast on the third repeat I cleared the hill in 52 seconds, first attempts were more like 1:05. While it is unmeasured I suspect that is the hardest I have run in some time.

About 4 hours later I worked with YPFA of team CFEB on some skills. I did some decent rowing. She nailed some of her goals. Nice work.

2009 CrossFit Regional Qualifiers

2009-05-05T09:40:00.001-07:00

315# Deadlift X 22. Got 16 consecutive.

"Catch 22" (course pictured above).

Sunday Morning WOD

"Catch 22"
22 Deadlift 315/185
DB Farmers Walk 45's/25's Up Hill To #3
22 DB Thrusters 45's/25's
DB Farmers Walk 45's/25's Downhill To #4
22 Chest To Bar Pull Ups
Run To Top of Ridiculous Hill #5
22 Overhear Squats 95/65
Run Down Hill To Finish

I went as a Judge to the CrossFit Norcal Qualifier. My athlete, Apollonia Helm came in fifth and is going on to the 2009 CrossFit Games. This is incredibly exciting, and needless to say kind of big deal.

A Thousand tips of the hat to Gita Dombrowski who realized Polly had what it took to make it this year (I was going to have her try in 2010) and put together a stunningly effective 11 day competition peaking program using, shall we say, very creative methods (still top-secret).

After the competition we mortals were allowed to do the day 2 WOD, "Catch 22" above. I completed it RX but slow as hell, 28:31 right under the 30:00 DNF limit. This would have put me around 47th place or so, including the 10 or so folks who did this RX "for fun" after the competition. Of course we won't mention there is little chance I could have RX'd WOD "B" and no chance I could have made it to day 2.

This was interesting - while I am still on the heavy side, due to all the competition ramp-up I have been involved in I have done tons of heavy-bias metcon in the last six weeks or so. I am fairly sure I am at the greatest lean mass I have ever achieved, around 158 pounds at a bodyweight of 192 or so. My bodyfat has been holding steady or dropping a little since I went back to the Zone.

To put this in perspective, in December of 07, at my lightest, around 168, I tried to Deadlift 315 ONCE in a CrossFit total and it felt nailed to the floor, it might as well have weighed 1000 pounds or a million. On Sunday that shit flew off the ground and I got 16 consecutive - I think my grip failed or I would have gotten all of them. In addition I did 21 consecutive OHS with true full depth in the WOD and 24 as a warm-up. All told I did 38 315 DLs on Sunday. By the way this is predictive of a 466# deadlift, far past my stuck point of 400 or so. It really must be mental! I am positive I am about to blast past my PRs in the total, and I feel like I might even be close to a 250 bench again. Also I can still do HSPU (one at a time) which I never could above 185 before. I'm also working on rehabing my elbow with jump-through muscle-ups of the type done for the scaled WOD at the NRQ. I'm optimistic I can get them back even at this weight, if my elbow heals.

I don't know exactly why, probably zone, adequate calories and hitting just the right mix and amount of WODs, but I feel fantastic and powerful, really ready for anything WOD-wise. Another possibility is that the two weeks of caloric deprivation and massive volume (for me)was actually a beneficial stimulus once recuperation was allowed to take place - I'm at a fairly advanced level and almost certainly need to stack several weeks of tough stimulus together to disrupt homeostasis.

I also seem to have successfully adjusted my attitude and stopped the negative self-talk and self-defeating bullshit. Watching all the amazing athletes and feeling the positively electric atmosphere at the games (my limited hair really stood on end) really brought home to me how much I love this shit. As Patton said "God Help Me I love it so, more than life itself". We jokingly call it a cult but it is really getting to be less and less of joke for me over time: CrossFit is my religion.

Vibram Five Fingers!

2009-04-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

I have been eating in the Zone again, and reduced my workout volume in favor of quality.

The last three WODs have been decent:

"Sprint" (hardly) repeats - done in Vibram Five Fingers, KSOs (Keep Stuff Out. They felt great, but made my feet sore. No question years of running, etc. in trainers has made my feet weak and I am looking forward to strengthening them. The hill sprints trying to keep up with Daniel left me breathing harder than anything, ever, bar none. Total hyperventilation! Rebecca and Ynez were like, you should breath more deeper, and I was like, I wish I could!

Overhead Press 135-140-145-150-155-160(fail)-160.

Still 5 pounds off PR, but better than any recent lift. Done in Vibram Five Fingers.

Mid-Atlantic Qualifier WOD
21-15-9
Squat Snatch
Subbed push-ups for C2B Pull-ups (elbow bugging me)

10:21

VERY happy with this!! Something clicked in the first set of Squat Snatches, and I finally, after years and years of trying figured out how to really drop! I started laughing maniacally in the middle of the WOD even though I was in pain. Done in Do-Win lifting shoes, but I did a bunch in the Five Fingers too and they felt good.

Walking My Talk (More Or Less)

2009-04-27T22:17:00.001-07:00

Block Target = 17 +.5X fat.

Block Total = 17 + .5X fat.

I introduced Kaya, above coaching Gita, to CF Metcons. As expected, he kicked my ass; he is going to be a monster.

WOD:

21-15-9
Thruster 95#
Kettlebell Swing, 2 Pood

9:07

I meant for this to be easier than C2B Fran. Wrong. Kaya rocked it in a bit over 6 minutes, and thought it was "fun". Good times!

My performance was nothing special, but I sucked it up and finished it with no whining.

Did some box squats afterward, up to 205x5 just to check them out. I liked em.

Day Forty-Three(Counting Down) The Rules Apply To Me Too.

2009-04-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

I did my first weigh-in today:
Two week calorie deficit:15,500 calories
Expected weight loss: 4.4 pounds
Actual weigh loss 4 pounds
Begin weight 193 % 20% bodyfat (155# lean)
End weight 189 @ 19% bodyfat (153# lean)

This protocol of attempted huge caloric deficits did not work. I lost 50% lean and 50% bodyfat, which is unacceptable. I was unable to keep going with the huge deficits. I got viciously spun down and performance started falling very far down.

I realized recently that, for various reasons, I have engaged in a lot of negative self-talk lately, and have really not been rational about many things, one being my health, fatness, etc.

I went back and looked over this blog to see what really worked. I came across the collage above, showing:

12.12.05 210 lbs 30% bodyfat 147 lean
12.12.06 181 lbs 18% bodyfat 148.5 lean
11.01.07 171 lbs 14% bodyfat 147 lean
11.15.07 168 lbs 13% bodyfat 146 lean

And this picture, taken today of me at 189 lbs 19% bodyfat, 153 lean.

While I am not thrilled with my physique just now, it is worth remembering that I still have 46 pounds less fat than when I started this journey and 19 pounds more of vastly more functional muscle. I don't have a photo, but I got the bod pod reading of 36% bodyfat in Spring 2005. I was obese.

I would very much like to get back down to where I was, and I have been beating myself up for being old, fat, over the hill, etc, but the fact is: I am only 42 and my PEAK lifetime fitness was at 41 years old. This is like a 23 year old moaning that they are not in the shape they were at when they were 21. I would laugh at them. Today I almost gave up on the WOD, when it became clear my performance was going to be nothing special. Terrible attitude. I have to go through mediocre WODs to push back into advanced territory.

Anyway, looking at it rationally, rather than bemoan what I have lost, I should be thankful it is still possible to get back there or even improve. Plus I am stronger than I was at 168 pounds, by A LOT (like 80-90 pounds more on deadlift) and have even pulled some new records lately (309 FGB a long-time goal).

So. I have a couple of resolutions:

1: Recognize and interrupt negative self-talk.
2: Don't be a pussy. Work through hard WODs and accept them for what they are.
3: Use what worked: Regular WOD schedule, 17 blocks + .5x fat. Extra workouts if they feel good, as I wish to do them.

Calories In:
Calories Out:

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: Norcal Qualifier WOD 1 (scaled)

Row 500 Meters
30 burpees
10 overhead anyway anyhow 155# (RX was 165).

8:34

Thanks so much to my team for pushing me to finish this. Slap me if I fucking whine about the WOD again.

Day Fourty-Four (Counting Down)

2009-04-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 2200
Calories Out: 3000

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds, bread, red wine.

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
X-Blade (Supplement for CrossFitters)

WOD 1:

3 Rounds
600 Meter (insanely steep) hill run
10 1.5 P KB Snatch Left
10 Deadlift 205
10 1.5 P KB Snatch Right

18:48RX

Horrifying! Good work Gita!

Day Forty-Five (Counting Down)

2009-04-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 1600
Calories Out: 2800

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources:

Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: Row 5K (DNF 4500 M!!)
WOD 2: Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 315-325-345-375-387 (fail)-385-396 (fail)

This is getting tough. I'm having a hard time keeping calories low, my performance is decreasing daily and I feel spun way, way down. Also I feel like my weight is stuck at around 188 (still 5 pounds less than when I started, might not be rational). I'll keep pounding out this cortisol-fest as best I can, and will Annalise what is what on day 14. I think Taubes observation that caloric restriction can result in automatic energy reduction is spot on. I should look at my notes but I seem to remember I had my best weight loss/performance increase on 19 blocks 2x fat, which is much more on average than I am getting now: and also I was doing less, but more intense work. I feel that my metabolism is slowing to a crawl.

Day Forty-Six (Counting Down)

2009-04-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 3000
Calories Out: 3200

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi

WOD 1: Angie - DNF (only 20 C2B pull-ups, rest as RX)19:34
WOD 2: Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5 205-225-255 (fail 2 reps)- 245-265 (fail)
WOD 3: Row 5K 23:45 (! ack !)

Day Forty-Seven (Counting Down)

2009-04-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 2100
Calories Out: 3100

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds, diet soda, carb 8, roti.

Supplement sources:

Arimatest

WOD 1: Run 5K, hills 8.5 min pace.
"WOD" 2: Motorcycle riding, 90 minutes (burns 2.5 cal min, apparently!)
WOD 3:

Day Forty-Eight (Counting Down)

2009-04-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 2100 (estimate, on the road)
Calories Out: 3000 (estimate, on the road)

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds chocolate milk, diet soda.

Supplement sources: None today.

"WOD" 1: 200 miles of glorious backroad motorcycle riding at extra-legal speeds.
WOD 2: 5K hill run, not timed, slow, upon arival at Harbin Hot Springs.

A fine day. I got totally, thouroughly lost and took 4 hours and 200 miles to get to what usually takes me about an hour and forty-five minutes. Saw a lot of new country, Winters, Berreyesa Gap, Pope Valley. I did get passed by a souped-up Mini driving as fast as I have ever seen any vehicle tear up back roads!

Day Forty-Nine (Counting Down)

2009-04-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 1825
Calories Out: 3250

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds, Red Wine.

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: 3RM Push-Jerk 115-135-145-165-175(fail) 175 Clean & Jerk 1X
WOD 2: Row 5K in 23:10
WOD 3: 3RM Snatch 95-115-115-120 (fail)-120(fail)-115(Fail)
WOD 4: 100 inverted burpees for time (DNF)

Decent day. felt rested. I went to a friend pool and felt comfortable to swim w/ bathing suit, which I would not have 3 weeks ago: felt merely uncomfortable rather than mortified. Progress.

Day 50 (Counting Down)

2009-04-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 2900
Calories Out: 2800

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds, tortillas.

After last night's over-the-top working out, including 2AM lifting n drinking (not recommended) I was totally, wreckedly tired today. It's been over a month since I had alchohol, and I can say without a doubt, that to endure this sort of calorie-negative, high-volume cortisol-fest, one ought to stay away from alcohol or anything that might compromise ones already on-the-edge ability to recover.

Anyway, today was taken as a rest day, which was part of the plan (one rest day per week) back at it tomorrow with another 5K row, clean + jerk and 100 inverted burpees!. Yay! Inverted burpees!

I will weigh in next week (on day 43, two weeks in). I expect to have dropped 4-6 pounds.

Day 51 (Counting Down)

2009-04-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 3200
Calories Out: 3900

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds, red wine, ice cream (fail)

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: 8AM 5K Row 21:18
WOD 2: 430PM "Danny" 1 round + 27 pull-ups RX + C2B (Chest to Bar)
WOD 3: 7PM CrossFit Total 290/155/255 = 800
WOD 4: 1AM Drunken weightlifting

Day Fifty-Two (Counting Down)

2009-04-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 1875
Calories Out: 3350

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: Row 5K
WOD 2: Helen 11:44 RX C2B

I got an awesome 9.5 hours of sleep last night, that plus the luxurious-seeming 1900 calorie day (after the recent severe caloric restriction) left me feeling great! Helen was done at GWPC with the tricky turnaround, and was my first time C2B. Did just OK, splits were 3:14/4:45/3:45. The second run for some reason was awful + I had to break each pull-ups into 6/6. I think sub-10 is possible in the near future. Andy rocked it in 9:15, C2B!

Day Fifty-Three (Counting Down)

2009-04-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 1900
Calories Out: 3600

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: 5K Row in 22:18
WOD 2: "DT" 22:38RX

I really felt the effects of the calorie negative diet today: the row was a grind, and I absolutely hated the WOD. I finally felt good in the last round, and without question, on a warm day, with good nutrition, this would take half the time.

Day Fifity-Four (Counting Down)

2009-04-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 1900
Calories Out: 3000

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds, low-carb "ice cream".

Supplement sources:
Met-RX Protein Plus,
Arimatest
Hexaghen
Arson
Fish Oil
Multi
Black Powder.

WOD 1: Row 5K in 22:30

Day 55 (Counting Down)

2009-04-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Calories In: 1300
Calories Out: 3300

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources: Met-RX, Arimatest, Hexaghen, Arson, Fish Oil, Multi, Black Powder.

WOD 1: Rock climbing: 5.6 (up and down climb 2x, continuous)
WOD 2: Row 5 K in 21:48
WOD 3: Oly Practice

Day 56 (Counting Down)

2009-04-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Started Eight week diet with goal of losing 20# today. I will accept performance decrease, and some, but hopefully not much, muscle loss.

Start stats:
Bodyweight: 193#
% bodyfat: 20%
Lean Mass: 155#

Calories In: 1500
Calories Out: 3400

Food sources: meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, seeds.

Supplement sources: Met-RX, Arimatest, Hexaghen, Arson, Fish Oil, Multi, Black Powder.

WOD 1: Oly lifting (3RM Clean, best of 5 attempts)
WOD 2: Row 5 K in 21;30
WOD 3: Oly Practice

090324

2009-03-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Calories: 1805

F/C/P 94/109/121

Neg balance: 1200

WOD: OHS 15-5-5-6

115-135-145-155

Bench Press 5-5-5-1

185-195-205 (fail, 3 reps)-225

Reasonably happy with this, a bit off my latest, but coming off of being sick/lame it was a good start to getting back into training.

090323

2009-03-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

TJ's Chicken Sausage, TJ's pre-chopped onions, TJ's Microwave-In-Bag Baby Squash, Olive Oil

Calories: 1950

F/C/P 85/155/145

Neg balance: 700

WOD: None

I Am The Weakest Link

2009-03-15T17:25:00.001-07:00

CrossFit East Bay competed at the Diablo CrossFit Royal Rumble and took third place in a field of 14. This is better than I expected, and has excited me about CF all over again.

I think we would have won if I had been in better shape. My teammates are training as hard as they can (even overtraining) while I am coasting and have put on a bunch of flab (see above picture taken today).

The next throwdown is in three weeks, and I plan to lose 7-8# of fat and stay as strong as I am now (295# squat, etc) while increasing my metcon and Oly stats. I'm not going to weigh myself for one week, as much of the weight is water from eating too much crappy carbs.

First weigh-in and initial workout results will be posted next Sunday. I may or may not post before then, keeping up the CrossFit East Bay website, plus this blog turns out to be a surprising amount of work.

No Equipment WODS

2009-02-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

From CrossFiteastbay.com

A few people have requested no-equipment/low-equipment WOD for on the road: here are some:

1. Run 5 K
2. Run 10 K
3. Run 15 K
4. 4x400M repeats
5. 10x100M repeats
6. Run 500M-400M-300M-200M-100M rest 1 minute between sets
7. "Cindy"
8. "Mary"
9. "MIndy" 5 HSPU 10 Pull-Up, 15 Squat, Cindy-Style
10. "Murph"
11. "Angie"
12. "Chelsea"
13. "G.I." Jane"
14. "Barbara"
15. "Chelsea"
16. "Nicole"
17. Run 400M 21-15-9 HSPU, Squat, Pull-Up, Run 400 Meters
18. Run 800 Meters, 50 Burpees, Run 800 Meters
19. Run 800 Meters, 100 Burpees, Run 800 Meters
20. 400 Meter Walking Lunge
21. Tabata This
22. Tabata Something Else
23. Pull-Up Ladder
24. Push-Up Ladder
25. Squat Ladder
26. Sit-Up Ladder
27. Burpee Ladder
28. 300 Burpees For Time
29. Plank Hold to Failure X 4 rest one minute between sets
30. "Broomstick Mile"
31. Pull-Up/Push-Up to Failure, rest three minutes between sets
32. 21-15-9 Burpee, Sit-Up, Push-Up
33. 20 Double-Under, 100 Squat, 40 Double-Under, 75 Squat, 60 Double-Under, 50 Squat, 80 Double-Under, 25 Squat
34. 30 Bar Muscle-Up For Time
35. 100 Handstand Walking Steps For Time
36. 50 HSPU for Time
37. 30 Ring Muscle-Ups For Time
38. 30 Bar Muscle-Ups For Time
39. "Helen"
40. "Fran" (kettlebells)
41. 50 wall-ball for time
42. 100 wall-ball for time
43. 150 wall-ball for time
44. 21-15-9 Wall-ball, Kettlebell Swing
45. 21-15-9 Wall-ball, D-Ball Slam
46. 21-15-9 D-Ball Slam, Kettlebell Swing
47. "Kettlebell Hell"

20-16-12-8 reps of:
KB Swings
KB Squat Push Press
KB Deadlifts (Singles -- split the reps between arms)
Push-ups
KB Walking Lunges (Switch the KB between hands, between the legs on each lunge)
Pull-ups
Burpees!

Post more ideas to comments

Anabolic Diet Week 5

2009-02-04T06:36:00.001-08:00

I had a major distraction this week (above).

My experiment of not tracking what I ate did not work. I gained a pound. Sadly I think to maintain my weight I may have to write down everything I eat for the rest of my life. What a PITA!

Dec 30 weight: 193.5 pounds @ 21% bodyfat lean mass 153.25#
Jan 05 weight: 188.5 pounds @ 19% bodyfat, lean mass 153#
Jan 12 weight: 185.5 pounds @ 18.5%153# lean mass
Jan 19 weight: 183.5 pounds @ 18.0% bodyfat 151# lean mass
Jan 26 weight: 182.0 pounds @ 17.5% bodyfat 150# lean mass
Feb 03 weight: 183.0 pounds @ 18.0% bodyfat 150# lean mass

I barely worked out, too busy riding, etc.

OHS workout: 15-5-5-5

125 (fail, 10 reps)-165-165-165 (fail 1 rep)

I'm going back on the national schedule tomorrow for the foreseeable future and also getting a cortisone shot to hopefully take care of my elbow. 2 weeks full intensity, 1 week .5 volume, every 9th week completely off. I may start with .5 volume.

Anabolic Diet: Week Four

2009-01-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

I ate slightly more calories this week, a total deficit of 6000 calories. I lost 1.5 pounds which is just what would be expected. I may need to add more an additional carb up day, I did a 10K run yesterday and it took 55:00, and felt harder than it should have. It might be my shoes though. I'm going to try just eating rather than tracking everything for a week and see what happens. Also I seem to be losing muscle, I think I need more protein overall: 200 grams a day seems to be key.

Dec 30 weight: 193.5 pounds @ 21% bodyfat lean mass 153.25#
Jan 05 weight: 188.5 pounds @ 19% bodyfat, lean mass 153#
Jan 12 weight: 185.5 pounds @ 18.5%153# lean mass
Jan 19 weight: 183.5 pounds @ 18.0% bodyfat 151# lean mass
Jan 26 weight: 182.0 pounds @ 17.5% bodyfat 150# lean mass

FitDay

2009-01-23T05:43:00.000-08:00

Track everything you eat and all of your activity with easy to use software.

This is the best nutrition tracking software out there, and version 2 just came out.

Anabolic Diet Week 3 Weigh-In

2009-01-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

DO-WIN Weightlifting Shoes On Sale! Click HERE.

Click on "Oly Accessories" on left side of page.

Dec 30 weight: 193.5 pounds @ 21% bodyfat lean mass 153.25#
Jan 05 weight: 188.5 pounds @ 19% bodyfat, lean mass 153#
Jan 12 weight: 185.5 pounds @ 18.5%153# lean mass
Jan 19 weight: 183.5 pounds @ 18.0% bodyfat 151# lean mass

This week indicates a massive loss of muscle mass, but I suspect that it is simply the margin of error of my bioelectric impedance scale. I look trimmer, I fit into my motorcycle jacket on the "slim" setting (it is 3-way adjustable) and I deadlifted 380# this week, not far off my all-time best at a bodyweight of 193. Also I had alcohol Sunday, which may throw off the scale. First booze in 3 weeks, and I'm healthy enough that it did not throw me too badly, but I definitely don't feel as crisp as I have lately. Not really worth it.

Caloric deficit for week = 8000

Great Rip Quote

2009-01-15T10:55:00.001-08:00

Axle Press

Ironmind Applon's Axle

This is a very important quote from Rip's new book "Strong Enough"

"Your appearance when fit is almost entirely a function of your genetics, which are expressed at their best only when training is at its highest level, and the is level is only obtainable from a program based on an improvement in your performance in the gym of on the field. And the best improvements in the gym occur when participating in a program that looks more like performance athletics-- the kind of training done by competitive athletes - than one that looks like waving your arms and legs around on a machine or slowly rolling around on the floor".

"Strong Enough" pp 118

Nothing to report

2009-01-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

Posts are getting a bit repetitive. I'm in the groove of the anabolic diet, and I will report on days of interesting workouts, and give results on Mondays. That is all.

CrossFit East Bay "Cult" T-Shirts available

2009-01-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

CrossFit East Bay T-Shirts are available two styles:

Men's

Women's

Both are high-quality, wicking technical fabric shirts suitable for high-intensity exercise.

T-Shirts are black with red logos:

Out of stock items (struck through) can take up to six weeks to deliver (they have to be printed in a batch)

Back;

Front (small logo);

Purchase instructions: use Google checkout button below to pay for shirt(s). For pickup in Oakland no futher action is needed. For shipping in the USA use the payment button at the bottom of the list to pay the domestic shipping fee. For shipping worldwide, use the payment button at the bottom of the list to pay the international shipping fee.

Please include your name and address in the comments field. Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

Anabolic Diet Day 13

2009-01-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

Dec 30 weight: 193.5 pounds @ 21% bodyfat lean mass 153.25#
Jan 05 weight: 188.5 pounds @ 19% bodyfat, lean mass 153#
Jan 12 weight: 185.5 pounds @ 18.5%153# lean mass

8500 calorie deficit so this is very close to what it should be, anything lost from this point on will not be water weight.

2.00 pounds: bodyfat
0.25 pounds: muscle
1.00 pounds: water

Not much measurement change from my data-point sites (little bit lost from "love handle" area and hips), but as in past, I seem to lose weight elsewhere first (arms, chest legs) before I can make a dent in the mid-section. Satisfactory.

Workout:

For time 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 rep rounds of:
Virtual shoveling [wmv] [mov]
Pull-ups

With an Olympic bar holding only one plate (men use 45 pound plate, women use 25 pound plate), touch the plate on one side of the barrier then the other for one "rep." Barrier is 24."

C2B pull-ups, 36:30, brutal.

OHS 15-5-5-5

115-155-155-155-155

Calories: 2100
Protein 183
Carb 69
Fact 117
Negative caloric deficit 656

Anabolic Diet Day 12

2009-01-11T23:41:00.000-08:00

I finished my marathon AFFA course/tests today, came home at 4 and slept from 6 to 11:30PM. Now my sleep and eating cycles are screwed up. After yesterday's carb-up, today I was strikingly not hungry, just the opposite of what I would usually experience, so perhaps it is true that this diet performs as advertised: keeping one in fat burning, and allowing one to accumulate enough glycogen to support performance. Next week, if all seems right, I will try a two day, or perhaps 36-hour carb up.

Calories: 1200
Protein: 140
Carbohydrate: 24
Fat: 62
Negative Calorie Balance:2100

Anabolic Diet Day 11

2009-01-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

Another super-busy day. I did my high-cal/carb-up day, and unlike last week, I really went for it, mashed potatoes, pasta, etc. I have really gotten out of the habit of eating carbs, I cannot seem to eat more than a zone-ish 150 carbs, despite that I feel rather full and tired now.

Calories: 2300
Protien: 190
Carb: 145
Fat: 110
Negative Calorie Balance: 550

WOD

100 1.5P KB Hang Snatch
7:16

Anabolic Diet Day 10

2009-01-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Another super-busy day.

Today was the first day I felt a real performance decrease, or at least lack of increase. This is only one data point, so I need to wait for the next heavy workout, but I suspect I need 30-100 G of carbs before/during the heavy WODs, which is part of the Anabolic Diet. Too bad I can't use "Blue Thunder" because of the No-Sugar challenge, it would work great. I may move my carb-up days to the day before and of the heavy day.

Back Squat 5-5-5

270 (fail 3 reps) 270 (fail 2 reps) 245 (fail 5 reps not RX weight)

Deadlift 1x5

375 (fail 0 reps)

I was really rushed and tired, but I suspect I am a bit starved. I'm really happy with the weight loss, so I'm going to try and tweak this just a bit and see if I can keep losing fast and still get stronger.

Calories: 1900
Protein: 220
Carb: 65
Fat: 90
Negative Calorie Balance: 1307

Anabolic Diet Day Nine

2009-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Very busy day today, not much time to post. I'm getting nasty leg cramps from the ultra-low carb protocol. I need a potassium supplement.

Calories: 2100
Protein: 195
Carb: 45
Fat: 120

Negative Calorie Balance = 600

Anabolic Diet Day Eight: The Search For Sugar

2009-01-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Sugar-Containing Foods

I'm doing the CFEB 30-Day No Sugar Challenge. This is not hard for me, I don't have a huge sweet tooth, however it is a pain in the ass, I cannot quite believe all of the items that have sugar in them, it's outrageous and unnecessary. Roasted chickens at the supermarket? WHY would you put sugar in a CHICKEN?? It is mystifying. Anyway I went through my kitchen and threw out everything with sugar in it. I am certainly going to be checking labels more carefully in the future!

Food:

Calories: 1950
Protein: 175
Carbs: 45
Fat: 95
Negative Calorie Balance: 1350

Workout:

None really, ran a mile or so as part of my coaching

Anabolic Induction Day 7: Results

2009-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

Starting weight: 193.5 pounds @ 21% bodyfat lean mass 153.25#
Ending weight: 188.5 pounds @ 19% bodyfat, lean mass 153#

Very satisfied with this, although based on my careful tracking this week, using FitDay, in the last six days I have created a caloric deficit of 9000 calories. This would suggest losing 2.5 pounds, not 5 as is the case, so I believe the breakdown of weight loss is as follows:

2.25 pounds: bodyfat
0.25 pounds: muscle
2.50 pounds: water

Those are absolutely stellar results and are exactly in line with Dr. DiPasqules claim that this diet will yield losses of 90% bodyfat 10% muscle mass, along with significant water weight in the first few weeks. This is doubly impressive as I had 200 g of carb yesterday in the loading phase, and experienced no bloat, suggesting I'm still strongly in fat-burning mode. In addition, I am continuing to perform at a high level in both strength and Metcon workouts.

Finally, my waist went from 37.25 to 36.0, and since my hip is 38 inches, this gives me a ratio of .94, in the healthy range. I realized recently that I don't hold the dangerous kind of abdominal fat. Even at my present, quite fat, body comp, I can see my upper abs. I am, however cursed with holding large amounts of fat on the hips: "love handles", measurement at the bellybutton is 38 inches. As I have written here before, even at 10.5% bodyfat, I still have them: I can have a six-pack and love handles at the same time. I am more determined than ever to get to a healthy body comp and investigate cosmetic surgery options, and the haters can go f themselves.

Food:

Calories 1850
Protein 175
Carb 45
Protein 105
Negative Calorie Balance 1450

Workout:

OHS 15-5-5-5

110-155-155-155

Bench Press 5-5-5

210-210-210(fail 4, nearly tore pec, scary)

Climbed 11a!

Anabolic Induction Day Six

2009-01-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today I did the carb-up phase, but did not go nuts. I ate more like I would on a normal "Zone" day. I did have a few plain pancakes for breakfast, but they turned out not to be much of a high-carb source, according to FitDay. Oh, well, I can't have more for a month unless I make them myself as I am starting the CFEB 30-Day No Sugar Challenge at Midnight. Along those lines I finished my TJ's hot sauce that I was surprised to see had sugar in it, as well as some TJ's Frozen Broccoli/Water Chestnut with Sauce that has a bunch of sugar as well. I also had some low-carb ice cream-ish thing with berries and granola.

Calories: 2250
Protein: 150
Carb: 195
Fat: 90
Negative Calorie Balance: 950

Workout:

(Unplanned)
Firebreather's WOD from CFEB

For Time:
100 Kettlebell Swings 2.0P
7:11

Brutal.

Anabloic Diet Induction Day Five

2009-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

No workout today, lots of coaching. I felt really good, but I overdid it on carbs, almost all from vegetable sources though. 65 g, should really keep it to 50 g.

Food:

Calories 1650
Protein 173
Carb 65
Fat 80
Negative Calorie Balance 1500

Anabolic Diet Induction Day Four

2009-01-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

I was extremely hungry last night: my last mini-meal of green beans, Gouda and one egg I obsessed over like a castaway looking at dwindling rations. It was hard to sleep. I woke up today quite tired, and feared I was over-trained/under-recovered/underfed. After a healthy dose of Coffee, I felt better and after my first client I worked out.

Workout:

Hang Power Clean 3-3-3

155-155-155

Back Squat 5-5-5

265-265-265

Deadlift 1-1-5

385-405(fail)-370

Deadlifts were ugly and at the limit. It's weird that I can pull 370x5 which would be predictive of a 416 DL, but I just cannot get 405 past my knee. It might be mental. I'm just going to start putting 5 pounds on the 1RM and I should hit it in one month with any luck. I did hit all my other targets though. I forgot to do the rack-pulls.

Food:

Calories 1870
Protein 220
Carb 46
Fat 88
Negative Calorie Balance 1400

This is pretty awesome, on this scheme I am certainly losing bodyfat and getting stronger at the same time, it is hard to know how long this might last though.

Anabolic Induction Day 3

2009-01-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Since I have done Atkins recently with a disastrous rebound effect: 180>171>195, I do have an idea of what I can tolerate carb-wise. 30 grams a day is going to leave me in a weakened condition, 50 will keep me in mild ketosis without the punishing effect of ultra-low carb, especially as I am on a fairly severe hypocaloric regimen.

Workout:

5 miles Biking HUGE hills, fixed gear

WOD

"2009"

1 200m run uphill
1 200m run downhill
20 sit-ups
10 push-ups
9 burpees, collect token

5 rounds in 19:11

5 miles Biking hills, fixed gear

Food:

Protein 158
Carb 49
Fat 106

Calories: EXACTLY 1801!
Negative calorie balance = 1900

It will be interesting to see how the lifting goes tomorrow: If I cannot improve I might start drinking a "Blue Thunder" during/after lifting sessions (35 g carb .5 maltodextrin/.5 sugar; 35 gram protein. Hopefully this will not be neccessary.

Anabolic Diet Induction Day 2

2009-01-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Workout:

New Years Midnight 5K

Protein 186 g
Carb 45 g
Fat 102 g

Calories 1800
Negative Calorie Balance = 1100

Anabolic Diet Induction

2008-12-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Workout:

Run 2 miles

No-Pull-Up "Angie"

100 Push-up
100 Sit-Up
100 Squat

15:56

Calories: 1800
Protein: 155 g
Carb 35 g
Fat 115 g

Negative calorie balance = 1000

This was surprisingly easy. Unlike Atkins (10 g carb) this allows you to eat a pound of vegetables, and, therefore, is non-gross.

Accidental Progress

2008-12-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

I made a 10-pound jump on the OHS today instead of the 5 I had planned. Sweet!

Overhead Squat 15-5-5-5

105-150-150-150

Bench Press

205-205-205

All fairly solid. Also, while I ate and drank too much (holidays) and gained weight, most of it seems to be muscle: I'm at 194 pounds at 18% bodyfat according to my scale, which would put me at nearly 160 pounds of muscle mass, which was my one-year goal. This means I still have a chance to be 11% bodyfat at the games with a lean mass of 160 and a bodyweight of 177. I got a different reading (24%!!) later in the day, so let's say 21% with lean mass of 153. Not so awesome. Feh.

I picked up Mario DiPasquale's Metabolic Diet (312 pages!)

Also a CFT of 1000 looks not too far off, maybe 6-8 weeks.

the 225 squat clean looks far away and 3-4 minute Fran seems almost unimaginable, but If I can manage to keep the strength gains and lean out who knows?

I have wanted to try this for a while, it looks promising.

Theoretical 1RM

2008-12-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I have put my "Simple 3x5 for CrossFitters" to a personal test. It is working even better than expected.

Back Squat 5-5-5

260-260-260

Deadlift 1x5

365: this just flew up, it was so much easier than last week.

Deadlift from bottom pin of high-pin rack 1x5

495 (very hard)

Hang Power Clean 3-3-3

150-150-150

These lifts are predictive of a 1RM of:

Back Squat 295#

Deadlift 411#

I tried 400# at the end and it did seem like I could have pulled it fairly easily if I was fresh (I gave up on it, it did not seem safe).

Oh, and, funny story?

I have been pissed for a year and a half that I never got 400# on my last serious strength cycle. I was talking to Tom about it and pointed to the weight (8 plates) and said that is the most I have ever pulled, I was pissed I never got 400#. And Tom is like, um, Dude, that's 405#! DOH! So I did get it, and then I hurt my back trying to pull 410# (which I thought was 400. Double Duh, but I'm pleased that I have, in fact, pulled a 400 DL.

Paleokit 2

2008-12-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

I contacted the maker of the awesome Paleokit. It turns out it is Steve Liberati the owner of Steve's Club. If you don't know what this is, check it out here. He is setting up an affiliate program and I plan on joining.

Workout:

5 Rounds For Time:

Back Squat 135#, 15 reps
Deadlift 185#, 15 reps

Time: 18:14

I created this one, and it is only OK, very hard on the low back which makes it hard to really get roaring. I'm going to play around with this one, it has potential.

Protein: 170 g
Carb: 65 g

Negative Calorie Balance = 600

PaleoKit!

2008-12-23T10:16:00.001-08:00

Great Idea! I'm going to find out if I can be a distributor, but from their website it seems like they cannot keep up with demand. Anyone out there want to collaborate on creating a similar product?

081221

Workout:

None(planned rest)

Negative Calorie Balance = +200 (fail)

081222

Workout:

Overhead Squat 15-5-5-5
95-140-140-140

Bench Press 5-5-5
20-200-200

Max Rep Dead Hang Pull-Up
8

Protein: 190 G

Carb: 60 G

Negative Calorie Balance = 300

Bailed on C2B kip attempt, my elbow told me not to.

Yesterday I saw an MD for the first time since I was T-Boned on CBR1100XX in 2000. Since I have no medical insurance I went to Quickhealth Medical for treatment of a nasty thumb infection. I have to say I was 1000% satisfied with this cash-only clinic serving mostly a Spanish-Speaking clientele (It's in the Oakland Barrio). I had to wait for an hour, but that is normal even if you have an appointment with a more mainstream Doc I suppose. Dr. Carlos Ramirez was the most pleasant MD I have ever seen and I was OTD with a tetanus shot and antibiotics for 139.00. Dr. Ramirez (who goes by Carlos)also said if my Naproxin Mega-Dose does not work for my elbow they can do a steroid shot for 99.00 OTD. I love it.

Jump-Start: Not Fail!

2008-12-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

I did a hybrid CF Main Page WOD. I did do the 800 meter runs x 4, but per Gita D I worked on pacing trying to turn over 180 strides per minute. What a weird feeling! I did manage to get 180 in 4 of the minutes and I got 189 in the final minute. This slowed me down a lot, my splits were slightly over 4 minutes (although there were some big hills in this so I would not have gotten 3:00 splits even if I had just run all-out anyway.

I got a very ugly bar muscle-up! My first in many months, although my elbow warned me not to do it again. I could probably get a few ring M-U, but I think I will let my elbow heal more. Anyway, my elbow is healing, my weight is dropping and my strength is increasing. good things.

I also got the Rolling Thunder off the floor loaded up with 125#! I absolutely could not do this before, pretty exciting!

Finally I got a 75# 1-arm snatch. A very satisfying day.

Protein: 170

Carbs: 130

Negative Calorie Balance = 700

Terrible Thirty

2008-12-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

Per my plan to cherry-pick the metcons off of the main site, since today is the Filthy Fifty and it just does not seem "strengthy" engough, I have come up with this bit of torture I'm calling the "Terrible Thirty". I'm actually not sure I can do it RX.

30 Box Jump, 30 inch box
30 Chest-To-Bar Pull-Ups
30 Dumbbell Swing 70 pounds
30 Walking Lunges with a 45# Plate held overhead
30 Ankles-To-Bar
30 Good Mornings, 95 pounds
30 Push-Press, 95 Pounds
30 Wall-Ball Shots, 20 pound ball, 12 foot target
30 GI Janes
30 Triple-Unders

I'm fairly certain I can do all of this except the triple-unders. I'll sub 100 double-unders if I can't do it.

If this turns out to be compelling, I think I will have my athletes do this tomorrow and then the straight FF the next Saturday.

This turned out not to be a good WOD, I tinkered with it and did this:

20 Box Jump, 30 inch box
20 Chest-To-Bar Pull-Ups
20 Dumbbell Swing 70 pounds
20 Walking Lunges with a 45# Plate held overhead
20 Ankles-To-Bar
20 Good Mornings, 95 pounds
20 Push-Press, 95 Pounds
20 Double-Squat Wall-Ball
5 GI Janes
100 Double-Unders

26:34

Still not a great one. I'm having my athletes do THIS today:

20 GI Janes
Run 200 Meters
20 Box Jump 30" box
Run 200 Meters
20 KB swing 2.0P/1.5P
Run 200 Meters
20 C2B Pull-ups
Run 200 Meters
20 Weight Overhead Lunge 45#/25#
Run 200 Meters
20 Ankles-to-bar
Run 200 Meters
40 Supermans
Run 200 Meters
20 clap push-up
Run 200 Meters
20 Double-Squat Wall-Ball
Run 200 Meters
100 Double-Unders

Protein: 230

Carbs: 130

Negative Calorie Balance = 300

Max Effort

2008-12-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

I have been watching "the boys" over at Ironworks lift a lot lately. All of them have over 500# Squat and Deadlift, and are working on, or can do better than 600# on both.

I gave a shot at stubborn dont-give-up lifting just like they do today. Reasonably pleased with this, my first heavy day in a while.

Workout:

500 M Row

Back Squat 5-5-5
225-245-255

Deadlift 5
365 (fail 3 reps)

Deadlift rack pull 5
495

Hang Clean 3-3-3-3-3
135-135-135-145-145

Max Effort C2B Pull-Up
14 reps

Max Effort Close Grip Dead-Hang Pull-up
7 Reps

Food:

Protein: 190

Carb: 110

Negative Calorie Balance = 700

Very satisfied with today.

My Homie Pavel

2008-12-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

Possibly the greatest video ever, which I found over at River City Physical Culture.

Yesterday was a wash. Neither good nor bad.

Protein: 210

Carbs: 150 (fail)

Negative calorie balance = 50 (fail)

One thing I have forgotten over the years of CF/Zoneing: for heavy weight workouts, the Zone prescription is NOT ENOUGH! After 3 days of high protein eating/ heavy weight training, I am clearly stronger and more muscular, also I have hardly gotten sore! While it to early to say, I feel a bit less fat as well. I'm sure this is psychological. I have also been taking fish oil, 1G per day.

Finally the Naproxin (Alleve) seems to be helping with my elbow: This is day 3 of the quadruple dose Frank Moreno RN recommended for me to help with my climbers elbow. If I could start climbing hard again I would be ecstatic!

I'm pretty excited to hit the weights today, and hopefully get 14+ C2B pull-Ups.

081216

2008-12-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Protein 200 g
Carbs 110 g

Negative Calorie Balance = 650

Workout

1000 meter row

13 C2B pull-ups

Monday 081215 National WOD

Five rounds for time of:
275 pound Deadlift, 5 reps
10 Burpees

6:14RX

I was originally going to scale this back, but 225 just seemed ridiculously light, so I went with the full weight and dialed back the intensity a bit. Somehow I did not write this down last time, but I'm nearly certain it was about 5:00, so this was just about right as I was looking for 80% intensity this week to ease back into working out without burnout or injury.

081216

2008-12-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (081215)

Protein 195 grams
Carbs 100 grams

Negative Calorie Balance = 900

Workout:

400 meter run

Overhead Squat 15-5-5-5

105 (fail, 9 reps)

135 (fail)

at this point I re-evaluated my set-up with the help of Tom, who had just deadlifted 525 2x, so you gotta figure he knows a thing or two, right? I got properly set up

135 (easy)

135x6, could have done way more.

Bench Press 5-5-5

195-195-195

Jump-Start

2008-12-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Former and, hopefully, future glory

My training and diet have been quite mediocre lately. No new PRs since my 309 Fight Gone Bad, which was months ago, although I did well on "The 42" on my birthday. My body comp (and strength to weight ratio) have really backslid. Combined with a nagging elbow injury, this has taken my muscle-up from 7 to 0.

Anyway, I have decided to make my New Year's resolution early and clean up my act.

I'm giving a variation of the Zone Diet that I have been thinking about for a while a shot:

30/25/45 F/C/P

Caloric deficit of 800 calories a day with about 200 grams of protein.

Workout Schedule (six week micro-cycle):

Monday
OHS 15-5-5-5
Bench Press 5-5-5
Climb

Tuesday
CF Metcon (Cherry Pick)

Wednesday
Off

Thursday
Back Squat
5-5-5
Hang Clean
3-3-3
Deadlift
5

Friday
CF Metcon (Cherry Pick)

Saturday
CF Main WOD (rest if rest day)

Sunday
Off

One thing which has retarded my progress of late (besides being injured) is a seeming inability to hit the national WODs with anything less than blistering intensity, even though in my deconditioned state I have gotten overtrained multiple times by doing so, leading to a lack performance gain. This is a bit of an odd paradox and I wonder if other experienced CF'rs experience it: I have been at this long enough that even in a deconditioned state, I seem to have residual "crossfitness" that enables me to hit the WODs harder than I should.

I have experienced the above twice recently "Mr. Joshua" with a weighted vest (bad idea) and the recent

3 Rounds For time

50 Box Jump
21 185# Deadlifts
30 Pull-Up

I'm rather apprehensive about the Games WOD

Five rounds for time of:
275 pound Deadlift, 5 reps
10 Burpees

It seems these Deadlift ones are the real killers for me, not because I am weak in the DL, but rather because I'm strong enough to hurt myself with them, but not fit enough to recover?

Byer's Gets Discipline

2008-12-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

I'm cross-posting an interesting blog entry from Melissa Byers' blog "Byers Gets Diesel" which comes out of an online conversation between us.

Thursday, December 11, 2008
Confessions of a CrossFit hussy
First, let me just say that after killing myself in yesterday's WOD... things just HURT. It started to hit me last night, which did not bode well for today. Thank Oprah it's a rest day, because I'm pretty sure I'm not good for anything else right now.

Continuing from Tuesday’s post, where I discussed leaving “Noviceland” and all those regularly scheduled PRs behind…

Confession: In the past, I’ve been a bit of a PR slut. I would do anything to be able to tack those two letters on to the end of something. So at the end of my workout, despite being mentally and physically spent, I’d invariably load up the bar with a few extra pounds and try to pull one more rep, just to say I did. Even on days where I was supposed to be working straight sets across, I’d almost always finish off with a new 1RM attempt. It just felt GOOD to be able to say that I pulled a new PR. And it’s oh-so-tempting to toss just one more plate on the bar and give it a go.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, because I see other people stretching to put those letters on lots of different things. We’ve claimed “PR for reps” or “PR for sets”, for example. But where does it end? Is there a “PR for rest” – I moved the same weight, but I rested less between each set? Can I claim a PR for a brand new workout – I’ve never done it before, so it’s a “PR by default”? I recognized that my PR motivations were starting to get out of hand. And it wasn’t long before these cheap and dirty workout one-night-stands were actually weakening my form, jacking up my programming and steadily pushing me down the path to injury.

I realized that I’m not doing myself any favors by whoring myself out to these two little letters. For one, if I’m supposed to work a 5x5 and instead work a 4x5 and a single, I’m shorting myself four whole reps and a whole lot of weight. Two, I’m also not getting better at these exercises by sacrificing practice with good form in favor of hitting a sloppy 1RM attempt. And three, throwing in these haphazard PR attempts often resulted in failure, which only made me MORE determined when it came time for the next day’s (unscheduled and ill-advised) attempt. Can you say “overtraining” and “injury”?

And yet CrossFit expects – no, demands – 100% effort and intensity… which should translate to frequent PR attempts, right? I mean, “100%” IS “max effort”, which means in my overachieving, perfectionist little brain, CrossFit WANTS me to shoot for a PR every day. But that just sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? Not to mention that pulling single reps day in and day out isn’t the most effective path to strength, skill, and balanced fitness. So given what I believe is a CrossFit paradox, how am I supposed to reconcile the “intensity” that is demanded of us (and is synonymous with setting PRs) with the “perfect practice” required to build strength, improve form and increase skill? I decided to ask Max Lewin of CrossFit East Bay for some advice. Here is an excerpt from our discussion.

_____

BYERS: Okay, so am I really supposed to shoot for a PR EVERY time I hit a workout?

LEWIN: This is not really possible, or many of us would be superhuman by now. How often you can hit PRs depends on where you fall on the continuum of genetic potential versus genetic actualization. If you are a beginner, far, far away from your genetic potential, gains come easy and hitting PRs every time is not out of the question. The closer you get to your genetic potential, the harder it is to hit PRs. As solid intermediates, we should be trying to hit some PRs, perhaps one every few weeks, depending on how long we have been doing it. Of course one good way to hit new PRs is to try something new, and be back at the bottom of the food chain.

BYERS: Okay, so maybe I can’t hit a PR every day, but CrossFit says I’m supposed to go after every workout at 100%. If I’m going for high intensity in every workout, when do I get the chance to just PRACTICE these movements?

LEWIN: First, it is impossible to give 100% effort to every single workout. Second, one excellent scheme that allows practice in the context of CF is two or three weeks at full intensity and the third and/or fourth week at 1/2 volume. Using light weights, reduced volume, intentional reduced speed or all three allows for practice. Also, if you are not practicing the movements with light weight/speed/intensity before the workouts, you ought to be. Pretty much every time.

We should all keep in mind that it is no virtue to pound through a workout as fast as possible at any cost. That way lies injury, a lack of coordinational improvement, poor form, decreased efficiency, and, generally, less than full range of motion. This last point is important. A lack of full ROM automatically equals less work volume and makes no sense, if full ROM is possible. This is so often simply ego, or a desire to move as quickly as possible. If you deadlift 300# but can only stand up to 90% of full extension, you might as well have lifted 270# with perfect form and full extension. The amount of work is exactly the same, it is safer and those who understand will be much more impressed with a beautiful maximal lift than a heavy ugly one. My favorite quote of all time from Coach Glassman on full ROM: "I ran a three-minute mile, but it was only half a mile".

_____

In summary:

* Perfect practice can live in harmony with high intensity
* Max efforts should be included, but in a structured fashion
* Check your ego at the door
* Follow the path of virtuosity

More on my conversation with Max later this week, as he had some more great advice about setting goals and structuring a strength-based program. And you can read his “virtuosity” post in its entirety here. It's worth clicking through.

So as of today, call me a good girl, because my PR promiscuity is a thing of the past. My new program will include a lot more 3x5 and 5x5 weight sessions, and far fewer 1RM attempts. In addition, I will incorporate “perfect practice” into my programming on a daily basis, in my work sets, as part of my warm-up AND in dedicated half or three-quarter intensity weeks without a time or weight component. And finally, my new rule is that a PR attempt is not allowed during perfect practice time. If I’m feeling strong, I’ll just do more reps, but I will not load the bar up past my previous 1RM.

A big thank you to Max for all of his help. Post thoughts to comments, and visit CrossFit East Bay for more great programming and WOD ideas.

Mir Weighted Vest Day Two: Tabata Something Else

2008-11-30T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here is some video of Jason Kalipha, winner of the CrossFit Games 2008 training with a Mir Weighted Vest. This is validation that my heavy cycle is a good idea.

After the suck-fest that was "Mr Joshua" with a 20-Pound Mir Vest, I did a Thanksgiving 10K trail run at Redwood Regional Park with my CrossFit Athletes. The following day I rowed 2K and did 19 C2B pull-ups. Yesterday I did the CF national WOD Deadlift 5x3:

185-225-315-3335-355

I felt like I had been beaten afterward and needed to nap for hours. Mostly the back-to-back 75X250# Deadlifts with a 20-Pound Weighted vest AND 10K STEEP trail run were to blame. By the time I got to the Heavy DL I was already cooked. The national WOD on Thanksgiving was "Nate" a more upper-body centered Metcon, so my sub was a bit crazy in a week where I was trying to go full-bore.

Today I will give the national WOD a shot wearing the 20-Pound Mir Vest.

"Tabata Something Else"

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

Post total reps from all 32 intervals to comments.

Mir 40-Pound Workout Plate Vest, First WOD

2008-11-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Rehab row all done but 2K (98K rowed).

For some time now I have been wanting to do a three-week CrossFit Heavy Cycle, doing all the WODs with a 20# Vest. It was my hope that I would be able to do everything RX, albeit slow. Due to my elbow injury and tertiary weight gain, I doubt my ability to do muscle-ups at my "vest weight" of 205#, but I will do the 4x dip/C2B pull-up sub for M-U.

MIR Fitness vests.

Today was an interesting first WOD:

Wednesday 081126

"Mr. Joshua" (on a boat)

Five rounds for time of:
Row 500 Meters
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps

Time: 30:05. Gave me an exertional headache and migraine artifacts throughout the night.

Initial impressions of vest:

I got 3 MIR Workout Plate Vests for CFEB (cheap) and this will be an opportunity to battle-test them.

MiR Workout Plate Vest

This vest is well-designed and seems very well-made. I have used the X-Vest and V-Max which cost 2-3x as much, and while this is not quite as good, the cost to benefit ratio is quite high. Five pound weight plates (up to 8) fit securely in the front and back pouches. For the initial workout, I did rowing, deadlifts and GHD sit-ups, there was no interference with the first two movements, but sit-ups were tough, as I suppose they would be with any vest. As advertised, due to the short nature of the vest, breathing was somewhat less restricted than with other models I have used. Overall A-.

* Includes one Velcro belt.

* 1200 D-Nylon flap to cover the weight plates in full.

* Cross straps to hold the any weight plates in place.

* 13 inches in length, 14 inches in width, 1 inch in thick.

* Hold up to 40lbs, Plate not included.

Price: $60.00

+40# of 5# plates from Sport Mart on sale for $.80 a pound = about $36.00, total cost $96.00.

You could save money by finding the plastic-type cheap plates, buying them used from Craigslist, or of course if you already have them, this vest is a no-brainer.

Crickets

2008-10-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

I got in another 5K of rowing for 55K total.

I did sprint 8 on my fixie today on the way to teaching my CF classes. Interesting in traffic.

Finished week one of IF/Zone/Paleo, I lost a few pounds (178.5) and took off an inch from my waist (37, still quite fat).

It's times like this that I have to keep perspective and remind myself that when I started this journey I had a 43 inch waist and weighted 215. Not to mention my general physical incompetence. It is tough, because I was at 33.5 waist and 163.5 about a year ago. I guess I should feel good that, approaching 42 years old, I'm still improving in many areas.

Rehab Row Again, Yawnx2

2008-10-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

100,000 Meter Rehab Row:

Day 01 5000 Meters in 24:00
Day 02 5000 Meters in 23:00
Day 03 5000 Meters in 20:20
Day 04 5000 Meters in 20:04
Day 05 3750 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 05 3550 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 06 3900 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 07 3600 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 08 3600 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 09 3800 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 10 3600 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 11 4200 meters in about 18:00 - Sprint 8 plus a little extra

Running Total: 50,000 Meters - halfway!

My elbow feels far better, this is absoultely a great rest protocol, this is the second time I have used it to good effect.

I started the C2B challenge today, we shall see how long I can stick with that with no ill effects on my elbow.

I'm also adding Overhead Squats, since they don't seem to aggravate my elbow. Did my first sets on Saturday:

95x15
135x6
155x3

This Saturday I will do:
100x15
3X5 @ 145

50 Consecutive Chest To Bar Pull-Up Challenge

2008-10-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

50 Consecutive Chest To Bar Pull-Up Challenge

The 100 day burpee challenge has drawn to a close. Congratulations to CFEB athletes Chuck Sana and Erica Martinez for completing it.

CrossFit East Bay offers the following challenge, with the goal of being able to perform 50 consecutive C2B (chest to bar) pull-ups, or as many consecutive C2B pull-Ups as possible (meaning more or less).

Track your progress here: "CFEB 50 Consecutive Chest-To-Bar Pull-Up Challenge Log"

This challenge will take 100 days.

On day one, Wednesday, October 22, athletes will perform ONE chest-to-bar pull-up.

Every other day the athletes will perform one additional consecutive chest to bar pull-up:

Day One: One C2B Pull-Up
Day Three: Two C2B Pull-Up
Day Five: Three C2B Pull-Up
...
Day One Hundred: Fifty C2B Pull-Up

C2B Pull-Ups can be performed as part of the WOD, assuming there are enough consecutive pull-ups in said WOD. For instance, 37 consecutive pull-ups can be performed in Murph, or Angie, but not Cindy or Helen.

If the athlete fails to hit the target number (for example 15 pull-ups on day 30) they will try again (for the preceding example, 15 pull-ups on day 32). If they fail again (for the preceding example 15 pull-ups on day 34) they will drop back 2 pull-ups ( for the preceding example, 13 on day 36, 14 on day 38, 15 on day 40).

If, as above, the athlete falls behind, and at some point feels they can make up some, or all, of the pull-ups, they may attempt it. For the above example, on day 42, 21 pull-ups are called for, but the athlete's target is 16, if they can manage 18 they then attempt 19 or more on day 44.

The point of this challenge is not to accumulate as many reps as possible, but to perform as many consecutive C2B pull-ups as possible, any and all modifications which will lead to doing more consecutive C2B pull-ups are allowed and encouraged, including:

* Starting at a higher number of pull-ups on day one (such as 80% of max rep C2B pull-ups)
* Using a different pyramid scheme
* Anything that will lead to more consecutive C2B pull-ups

You may buy-in at any time, by performing either the RX reps for the day, or your personal best.

Prizes:

Winners in the following categories will receive a CrossFit East Bay "It Hasn't Killed Me Yet" T-Shirt with "C2B Challenge Winner" emblazoned thereon.

Most Men's Consecutive C2B Pull-Ups
Most Women's Consecutive C2B Pull-Ups
Most Boy's (under 16 at start of challenge) Consecutive C2B Pull-Ups
Most Girl's (under 16 at start of challenge) Consecutive C2B Pull-Ups
Most Men's Masters (over 40 at start of challenge) Consecutive C2B Pull-Ups
Most Women's Masters (over 40 at start of challenge) Consecutive C2B Pull-Ups

To be eligible to win, you must be a member of an affiliate, and post a video on YouTube of your effort, filmed at an affiliate, within 24 hours, PDT of the conclusion of the challenge at midnight on day 100. You must post the link to CrossFit Message Board Thread "CFEB 50 Consecutive Chest-To-Bar Pull-Up Challenge Log".

Standard: the standard is the same as the 2008 CrossFit Games standard:

Each rep of the pull-up will count only when full range of motion is achieved. The bottom limit is your arms fully extended. The top limit will be when any part of your chest (from the clavicle down) physically touches the bar. Again, the rep will be considered complete only when your chest contacts the bar. See Photo, above.

Note to CrossFit East Bay Athletes: at the conclusion of this challenge, only C2B pull-ups will count as RX in our WODs.

Zone/Paleo/IF

2008-10-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

I have started my push to get my weight and bodyfat in line with my goals for the year:

For the next five weeks I am doing the following:

Intermittent fasting 5-7 days per week, 16-20 hour fasts.
Zone/Paleo - strict, no dairy, no nothing.
13 matched protein/carb block, 3-5x fat.
Creating a caloric deficit of 10,500 calories per week.
Fasted cardio daily, with an emphasis on intervals, such as Sprint 8.
One cheat day per week, where anything goes. Beer, doughnuts, you name it.
Continuing 100K rehab row (when done, will re-evaluate).
Lots of low-level calorie burning, i.e. biking to work, etc.

100,000 Meter Rehab Row:

Day 01 5000 Meters in 24:00
Day 02 5000 Meters in 23:00
Day 03 5000 Meters in 20:20
Day 04 5000 Meters in 20:04
Day 05 3750 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 05 3550 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 06 3900 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 07 3600 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)
Day 08 3600 meters in 16:00 (Sprint 8)

Running Total: 38,400 Meters

Rehab Row Continued (Yawn)

2008-10-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Rehab Row

2008-10-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

100,000 Meter Rehab Row:

Day 01 5000 Meters in 24:00
Day 02 5000 Meters in 23:00
Day 03 5000 Meters in 20:20
Day 04 5000 Meters in 20:04

Running Total: 20,000 Meters

Kinda pissed at this one, at first I was going to do it as a back-off at 22:00, but then realized, a bit too late, I felt great so decided I was going to go for sub-20 after all, but by then I had rowed 2 K in 8:05, and I just could not get the 5 seconds back.

Rehab-wise this is totally working. My elbow feels as good as it has since May. I am confident this will heal it, and I will be able to start climbing again (carefully).

BTW, the rower that I used has a worn spring, on a brand-new model E, this would be cake.

Q1 Results, Q2 Revised Plan

2008-10-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today marks the end of my first quarter of getting ready for the CF games.

My performance increased markedly during this time. I did national schedule, every 4th week .5 volume, with one week off in week 12.
Quarter One:
Goals:

Bodyfat 11% (not met, 17%)
Weight 169# (not met 180)
~~Lean = 146~~ (150)
~~CFT 800~~
~~Mile 6:30~~
Fran 5:00 (not met 6:19)
~~C&J 165~~

Mostly my body comp goals went nowhere this quarter (although I put on muscle), and hence, my Fran time was slow: my best time on this has been at under 170. Also the stars never really aligned for me on this one. I did get Fight Gone Bad of 309, which while not on the list, is significant.

CrossFit Toronto Fitness Test Output:

According to this, I really need some core work: I may go with a weekly 5x5 Overhead Squat/5x5 Clean workout, which would address this. To avoid overtraining, I think I will replace WODs in which I am already strong with this, but how to do so is a bit tricky: For example at this point, I'm, reasonably good in medium time-domain stuff, so I would probably get more out of this than FGB or 5K. Possibly I may stick to the national schedule, working in the things I need, and regulating the intensity.

I have managed to really tweak my elbow, so before anything else can be done I am doing another 100,000 Meter rehab row. No exercise except rowing until I have completed all of it. I planned to do 4x5Ks as follows: 24:00, 23:00, 22:00, 21:00, but I got carried away today and did it in 20:20. Next short effort will be sub-20 5K. I would also like to row a 7:00 2K and a 1:30 500 M.

100,000 Meter Rehab Row:

Day 01 5000 Meters in 24:00
Day 02 5000 Meters in 23:00
Day 03 5000 Meters in 20:20

Running Total: 15,000 Meters

Quarter Two:
Goals:

Bodyfat 10%
Weight 170#
Lean = 153
CFT = 875
Mile 6:00
Fran 4:00
C&J 190 (Jerk 185x2)
Meet ALL L2 Standards, at least 1/2 L3s

I'm reading up on tweaking IF for weight loss. 3 months to lose 10 pounds of fat and gain 3 pounds of muscle while increasing performance across all parameters seems just possible. Everything else looks doable, except the sub-4 Fran.

This is probably going to take more careful programming than just straight CF.

I might just have to map this out exactly, but one thing is certain: I need to regulate my intensity and volume better: I got overtrained twice in this cycle and had an injury the entire quarter that did not heal.

So:

Job One = Diet
Job Two = Planning

Tire Flip

2008-09-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

A New View of Energy Balance By John Berardi

2008-09-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

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A New View of Energy Balance

By Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D.
First published at www.t-nation.com, May 11, 2005.

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A Violent Uprising?

Arthur Schopenhauer, a preeminent 19th century philosopher, once said that truth isn’t always as easily accepted as we’d like it to be. Specifically, he stated: "Truth always goes in 3 stages. First it is ridiculed, then violently opposed, and finally accepted as self-evident."

Now, in this article, I intend to introduce the Testosterone Nation to a new
"truth." Well, maybe that’s not the best way of saying it. But, since saying
that I intend to introduce the T-Nation to my best guess at a theoretical model designed to explain and predict a natural phenomenon will leave a few of you scratching your heads, let’s stick with calling it a new truth.

The "new truth" that I want to introduce you to today is a new view of the
concept of energy balance. Although the ideas in this article will suggest that the current view of the energy balance equation offers limited explanatory and predictive power and, as a result, needs revisions, I don’t necessarily think that these ideas will stir uprisings, violent or otherwise.

First of all, the concepts in this article are logical, supported by research, and have appeared in bits and pieces, albeit fragmented, elsewhere on this site in the work of myself and the Warrior Nerd, Dr Lonnie Lowery.

Second of all, I’m just not sure the concept of energy balance has the power to rouse violence. It always makes me chuckle when "experts" (in any field) parrot this Schopenhauer quotation, suggesting that the ridicule of their ideas actually somehow makes the ideas true! Looking back through history, many more ridiculed ideas have been shown to be false than have shown to be true.

So rather than testing the ideas in this article against the barometer of ridicule and violent upheaval, let’s just test them against a much more objective standard—the available body of scientific and clinical evidence.

The Current View of Energy Balance

Let’s start out with a few pictures illustrating the current view of energy
balance, or, at least, how most people view the relationship between "calories in" and "calories out."

The first image below represents how most people perceive the energy balance equation during weight maintenance. As the diagram represents, when "calories in" are equivalent to "calories out," body mass should remain constant.

The next image below represents the conventional view of the energy balance equation during weight gain. As the diagram represents, when "calories in" exceed "calories out" body mass should be gained.

The next image below represents the conventional view of the energy balance equation during weight loss. As the diagram represents, when "calories out" exceed "calories in," body mass should be lost.

Now, in looking at these pictures it’s important to understand exactly what they represent. These pictures represent a scientific model, or in other words, a mental picture, or idealization, based on physical concepts and aesthetic notions that account for what scientists see regarding a particular phenomenon. And not only does a scientific model, as described above, explain a particular phenomenon, it allows scientists to predict a future course for the phenomenon in question.

Therefore, if the energy balance model above (or as we understand it, based on the pictures) can consistently explain body composition changes seen in those altering their exercise and nutritional habits, as well as predict how any specific change in either variable will impact body composition in the future, it’s a valid model. If not, it’s invalid (incomplete, misunderstood, or completely wrong).

From that perspective, let’s take a few case studies of mine and see if the
model above holds up under the explanatory and predictive scrutiny necessary for a scientific model to be valid.

Three Strikes and You’re Out
In order to support my contention that the above-mentioned model of energy
balance (or as we understand it, based on the pictures) is inadequate; here are 3 case studies for your examination.

*Case Study #1:
National Level Cross Country Skier; Female - 20y

Client Information from September 2002:
5’6" ; 160lb ; 22% fat
(125lb lean, 35lbs fat)

Exercise Expenditure:
~1200kcal/day

Energy Intake:
~2500kcal/day
15% protein
65% carbohydrate
20% fat

Client Information from December 2002:
5’6" ; 135lb ; 9% fat
(123lb lean, 12lbs fat)

Exercise Expenditure:
~1200kcal/day

Energy Intake:
~4000kcal/day
35% protein
40% carbohydrate
25% fat

Net result — 12 weeks:
25lbs lost; -23lb fat; -2lbs lean

*Note that in case study #1, we increased energy intake by a whopping 1500 per day while energy expenditure remained the same. Since the athlete was weight stable in September—prior to hiring me—you might have expected her to have gained weight during our 12 week program. However, as you can see, she lost 25lbs (while preserving most of her muscle mass). Since the energy balance model above, as it appears, can’t explain this very interesting result, that’s one strike.

*Case Study #2:
Beginner Weight Lifter; Male — 23y

Client Information from August 2003:
5’6" ; 180lb ; 30% fat
(126lb lean, 54lbs fat)

Exercise Expenditure:
~200kcal/day

Energy Intake:
~1700kcal/day
21% protein
57% carbohydrate
22% fat

Client Information from October 2003:
5’6" ; 173lb ; 20% body fat
(138.5lb lean, 34.5lbs fat)

Exercise Expenditure:
~600kcal/day

Energy Intake:
~2200 - 2400kcal/day
35 - 40% protein
30 - 35% carbohydrate
30 - 35% fat

Net result — 8 weeks:
7lb weight loss; -19.5lb fat, +12.5lb lean

*Notice that in case study #2, we increased energy intake by between 500 and 700 per day while increasing energy expenditure by about 400 per day. Again, since the lifter was weight stable in June, prior to hiring me, you might have expected him to have gained weight or at least remained weight stable during this 8 week program. However, as you can see, he lost 7 lbs. But that’s not the most interesting story. During the 8 weeks, he lost almost 20lbs of fat while gaining almost 13 lbs of lean mass. Since the energy balance model above, as it appears, can’t explain this very interesting result, that’s two strikes.

*Case Study #3:
Mixed Martial Arts Trainer; Male — 35y

Client Information from June 2004:
5’10" ; 179lb ; 19% fat
(148.6lb lean, 30.4lbs fat)

Exercise Expenditure:
~300kcal/day

Energy Intake:
~1100 - 1500kcal/day
48% protein
25% carbohydrate
27% fat

Client Information from August 2004:
5’10" ; 187lb ; 9% body fat
(170.2lb lean, 16.8lbs fat)

Exercise Expenditure:
~600kcal/day

Energy Intake:
~2400 - 2600kcal/day
26 - 38% protein
28 — 42% carbohydrate
22 — 34% fat

Net results — 8 weeks:
8lb weight gain; -13.6 lb fat, +21.6 lb

*Notice that in case study #3, we increased energy intake by between 1100 and 1300 per day while increasing energy expenditure by only about 300 per day. Again, since the lifter was weight stable in June, prior to hiring me, you might have expected him to have experienced a large gain in mass, both significant muscle and fat gains. However, as you can see, he gained 8 total lbs, having lost almost 14lbs of fat while gaining nearly 22lbs of lean mass.
While the energy balance equation might have predicted weight gain, it’s
unlikely that it would have predicted the radical shift in body composition seen in this individual. Yet another strike against the current view of energy
balance, as it appears.

Simplicity and Energy Balance

After looking at the case studies above, you might be wondering where the
classic view went wrong. (You also might be wondering what these individuals were on in order to progress so quickly—well, actually, not one of them took steroids or any nutritional supplements more powerful than Low-Carb Grow! Surge, and fish oil).

Although scientists are still trying to work out what types of metabolic
"uncoupling" are going on in order to produce results like those results above, it’s my belief that the current view of energy balance (depicted in the slides above) is just too simple to offer consistent explanatory and predictive power in the realm of body composition change. Below are the three main reasons I believe this to be true:

1. Calorie restriction or overfeeding (in the absence of other metabolic
intervention like drugs, supplements, or intense exercise) is likely to
produce equal losses is lean body mass and fat mass (w/restriction) or equal gains in lean body mass and fat mass (w/overfeeding). And even if these gains or losses aren’t necessarily equal, they still are in such a proportion that while body mass may be affected, individuals will only likely end up smaller or larger versions of the same shape. I call this the "body shape status quo".(1)

2. Most people assume too much simplicity by associating energy intake with calorie intake alone, and energy expenditure with exercise activity alone. This simplistic view can lead to false assumptions about what causes weight gain and weight loss.(2) Both sides of the equation are much more complex and it’s these interrelationships that are important to physique mastery.

3. Most people treat the energy intake and energy expenditure sides of the
equation as independent. As a result, even if we could avoid reason #2 (the
problem of simplicity) by matching energy intake against all the known forms of work that the body does in utilizing energy,

"…Obesity can arise in the absence of calorie over consumption. In addition, opposite models can show how obesity can be prevented by increasing expenditure to waste energy and stabilize body weight when challenged by hyperphagia (over consumption)". (3)

Factors Affecting Energy Balance

Now, when I say that most people assume too much simplicity by associating energy intake with calorie intake alone, and energy expenditure with exercise activity alone, I’m not shaking my finger at them. Obviously, of the factors playing into energy balance, these are the most readily modifiable. But, assuming they are the only factors playing into energy balance is what gets people into trouble.

In the diagram below, I’ve outlined all the factors that we currently know to
impact both the energy intake and energy expenditure sides of the energy balance equation.

Notice one thing, though. I don’t mention hormones here. The reason: hormones don’t impact energy expenditure directly. Rather, they signal a change in one of the factors listed on the energy expenditure side of the equation (or they lead to an increased appetite, thus are two steps removed from affecting the energy intake side of the equation).

Obviously, this relationship is much more complex than most people make it out to be. Sure, on the energy intake side of the equation, things are fairly
simple. The "calories in" are mostly affected by the efficiency of digestion
(90-95% of energy in). And we can control this side by volitionally choosing how much we stuff in our mouths.

However, on the energy expenditure side, we’ve got three major "destinations" for our ingested energy; work, heat and storage. And all the energy coming in goes to one of those three destinations. From this perspective, although it seems a bit counterintuitive, we’re actually always in "energy balance" regardless of whether we’re gaining or losing weight. The energy taken in is always balanced by the energy going toward work, heat and storage.

The interesting part is that during periods of over- or under feeding, the
amount of energy in can influence most of the factors on the energy out side.

Relationships Between Energy In and Energy Out

In order to add another touch of complexity to the discussion, as discussed
above, most people treat the two sides of the energy balance equation as
independent. They’re not. But don’t just take my word for it:

"The regulatory systems (of the body) control both energy input and output so that for a given steady state, compensatory changes on the input side are made if expenditure is challenged, or on the output side (expenditure or efficiency) if intake is challenged…Realizing human obesity is caused by the interaction of an obesigenic environment with a large number of susceptibility genes, successful treatment will require uncoupling of these compensatory mechanisms" (4).

"The critical issue in addressing the problem of alterations in body weight
regulation is not intake or expenditure taken separately, but the adjustment of one to the other under ad libitum food intake conditions" (5).

In the end, as these scientists suggest, understanding the relationship between "energy in" and "energy out" requires a more complex energy balance model than the one most people currently picture in their minds.

And, as promised above, here’s my take on what this model should look like in order to more accurately reflect what’s going on with energy balance.

Dr. JB’s Energy Balance Model

Let’s walk through this model together.

First, energy is ingested, with 90-95% of it being digested and absorbed. Once this energy reaches the cells, the intake is "sensed" by the body and signals are sent to the brain (and other tissues) to manipulate energy expenditure.

Here’s one way that energy intake is "sensed." (For a more detailed explanation, check out check out Part 1 of my "Hungry Hungry Hormone" article series.)

Based on the signals received, the brain either sends signals back to the body in order to increase hunger and metabolic efficiency while decreasing metabolism (if in a hypocaloric state), or in order to decrease hunger and metabolic efficiency while increasing metabolism (if in a hypercaloric state).

A complete understanding of this model leads us to realize that trying to
manipulate total energy intake alone in order to alter body composition lets us down because the energy expenditure side of the equation quickly changes to accommodate intake conditions. And trying to manipulate the energy expenditure side of the equation in order to alter body composition lets us down because the energy intake side of the equation is signaled to change in order to match expenditure conditions. In the end, this entire system is in place to prevent significant deviations from a comfortable body composition homeostasis. However, we all know that body mass and body composition can be altered reliably and homeostasis can be overcome to one degree or another. So, how do we manage to "outsmart" the body?

Well, various strategies can help to "uncouple" the relationships between energy intake and expenditure. I’ve detailed a few of them below.

Energy Uncoupling

Notice that there are two possible "uncoupling points" in this energy balance model.

The first uncoupling point lies in the communication between energy sensing/brain signaling (the lower arrow) and the second lies in the communication between the brain and the body—particularly in the drive to eat and the drive to move (the upper arrow).

Think of what dieters face during those inevitable dieting stalemates that
nearly all of us have experienced. Once energy is restricted, appetite is
reduced and both exercise and non-exercise energy expenditure is reduced. In order to combat this inevitable metabolic slow-down, a few of the strategies illustrated above can be beneficial.

First, on the energy sensing/signaling end, periodic re-feeding, the use of
carbohydrate or carbohydrate/protein drinks during exercise, and upregulation of thyroid function by nutritional supplements designed to provide raw materials for thyroid hormone manufacture or to stimulate the conversion of T4 to the more active T3 in the body can help keep the metabolic signal alive.

Secondly, on the brain to body end (the drives to eat and move), although
signals are sent to increase food intake and decrease voluntary activity, these can be uncoupled by refusing to eat more in the face of increased hunger.

Also, uncoupling can occur as a result of performing more exercise and non-exercise activity (including using strategies for increasing the cost of each activity — wearing an X-vest when walking, for example) in an attempt to maintain pre-diet energy expenditure.

If you’re looking for more tips for uncoupling the tight relationship between
energy intake and energy expenditure, check out Dr Lonnie Lowery’s Losing Your Energy Balance series at www.t-nation.com

In addition, as most of you know, I believe that alterations in food type (what
you eat) and food timing (when you eat) can also uncouple this relationship and improve both weight loss profile and muscle building profile.

For more on this, check out my" Lean Eatin’" articles — Part 1 and 2 — as well asmy Appetite for Construction column right here at JB.com.

And if after reading these articles, you still don’t buy into the calore is not a calorie argument (which is closely related to the concepts presented in this article), check out this recent scientific paper by Buchholz and Schoeller (6).

Finally, check out my review of my presentation at the 2004 SWIS Symposium for a more complete treatment of how to use the information presented in this article to impact fat loss.

In the end, I hope it’s evident that the traditional picture of energy balance
is missing one key facet—the fact that energy intake and expenditure are tightly inter-related. Without understanding this relationship, some erroneous conclusions are regularly drawn by dieters and nutritionists, conclusions that prevent the types of success seen in the case studies discussed in this article.

Now that you’re armed with this information, you’ll be better equipped to
construct nutrition schedules designed to "outsmart" the body, uncoupling this relationship above, and losing fat (or gaining muscle) while others stagnate.

References:
1. Forbes, GB. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000 May; 904:359-65.
2. Prentice, A, Jebb, S. Nutr Rev. 2004 Jul;62(7 Pt 2):S98-104.
3. Rampone, AJ, Reynolds, PJ. Life Sci. 1988;43(2):93-110.
4. Berthoud, HR. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2002 Jun;26(4):393-428.
5. Jequier, E. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Jun;967:379-88.
6. Buchholz AC, Schoeller DA. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May; 79(5):899S-906S.

The "300"

2008-09-27T21:11:00.001-07:00

Today was an auspicious day, CrossFit-wise. One of my long-term goals, to get 300RX on "Fight Gone Bad!" was met. I have been coming close to this for, literally, years, and during the FGB 3 Fundraiser I got 309, all with excellent form, and full ROM.

I made a change which helped A LOT, which was to change the order and the number of reps I went for in various movements. I have always started with the rower in the past, and the wall-ball has always been the choke point. I have always gone for 20 or better in everything and fallen apart in the last round when I have gotten close.

This time I started with box jumps, which have been a trouble spot as well, so I could do them fresh, and I just went ballistic on my strongest suit, push-press. I basically gave the wall-ball up as a lost cause and used it to recover for SDHP. I actually went to total muscular failure on the SDHP at about 16:53, so I don't think I could have gotten much more. The only bummer was that I was 3 points away from getting the CFEB record (311 presently). Next time I'm sure I'll get it. Ynez was an awesome wingwoman, I'm going to have to enlist her aid next time when I go for 325.

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3
SDHP 75#	17	17	25
Box Jump 20"	27	27	27
Push-Press 75#	35	35	25
Row	14	14	13
Wall-Ball 20#	11	11	12

There Can Be Only One...

2008-09-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

...ideal diet, that is.

The more I learn about nutrition, the more I think genetics play a truly huge role in how we process food. IF is doing me righteous, but I think many people would fall apart on this protocol.

Today is day four of IF (intermittent fasting) as follows:

14-20 hour fasts
1500 calories
super-high quality near paleo foods.
no alcohol

I have eaten basically this for the last three days:

.5 pound red meat
6 oz dark meat chicken
1 oz cheese
one grapefruit
one pound broccoli
2 cups marinara sauce
2 oz whole wheat pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
one packet "black powder"
4 GNC fish oil caps
2 TJ multivitamins
2 TJ Joint complex
2 GNC l-glutamine (1 gram)
small pot coffee, splash milk

Yesterday was a clear PR on "Grace" and I felt like I could do better.

Today in hour 14 of a fast I ran 5K, with 500 meters of elevation change in 24:45 , (and the first somewhat flatter 1.5 miles at a 7:00 pace).

I used to be a serious runner, so I am fairly certain this would translate to a 21:00 or so on a track, and this is by far the best I have felt on a run in long, long time (the last serious FLAT 5K I did took about this long!!).

And, again, at the end I felt like I had a lot left and had not pushed hard enough! Also I felt ecstatic rushes about 10 minutes into it that usually only happen at the end of a really long run (the "runner's high")- bonus!

I'm sold.

Tweaked IF

2008-09-18T22:32:00.001-07:00

The last two day, I have eaten 1500 calories in a six-hour window, all super-favorable near-paleo foods.

WOD:

Done in hour 16 of fast.

Grace (30 Clean and Jerk for Time)

4:40 (PR, last time was 5:59).

I think I could do this in 2:59 with proper coaching.

Climbed with Andrea after CF:

5.10a "Ira" - surprisingly difficult
5.11a "Green" - fail, got about 60% of the way
5.10d - finished, first try, best climbing I have done in a while.
5.11a "Pink" - tried hard, got pumped, fell off
V3 - got it!

Tweak IF

2008-09-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Feeding between 2:30 and 8:30

Builder Bar - 3 blocks
Muscle Milk - 4 blocks, low carb, 3x fat
2 slices diabetic lifestyles bread, .5 lb 96/4 beef, ounce cheese, apple - 6 matched blocks
TJ's flatbread pizza, .25 lb lox 2 tangerines - 6 blocks 2x fat

19 blocks 2x fat

Analysis: a bit too much food, a bit to many calories, I'm going to tweak this today. I'll let you know how it goes.

Goals Update

2008-09-15T10:47:00.001-07:00

New Posterior Chain Mass

I'm well on track with my fitness goals, but my body composition is sticking stubbornly in the 16-18% range.

However, and this is quite interesting, I have put on 7 pounds or so of lean mass in the last 3 months. I am at about 150 pounds of lean mass right now, almost the highest I have ever been at, and it shows: the 185x2 push-jerk the other day was a surprise.

Quarter One (ends Oct. 6th):
Goals:

* Bodyfat 11% (17%)
* Weight 169# (183)
* Lean = 146# (completed: 150#)
* CFT 800 (completed)
* Mile 6:30 (completed)
* Fran 5:00
* C&J 165 (completed + Push-Jerk 185x2)

The dreaded Fran is today. 5:00 seems unlikely, but I will try and equal my best of 5:45:

00:00 11 thruster
00:30 5 deep breaths
00:45 10 Thruster
01:15 5 deep breaths
01:30 11 pull-Ups
01:50 5 deep breaths
02:05 10 pull-ups
02:20 5 deep breaths
02:35 8 Thruster
03:05 5 deep breaths
03:20 7 thruster
03:50 5 deep breaths
04:05 15 pull-ups
04:35 5 deep breaths
04:50 9 thruster
05:20 5 deep breaths
05:35 9 Pull-ups
05:45

Update:

Fran RX 7:30

- a variety of factors could have caused this dismal performance:

a: alcohol
b: hypocaloric state/17 hour fast
c: smoked cigar on Saturday

I'm tempted to keep it real clean and try this again in one week, in a fasted state. God I hate Fran.

Did some climbing with Andrea at Diablo Rock Gym:

5.9x2, no break
5.10ax2 no break
5.10ax2 no break
5.10bx2 (needed 3 minute break, overhanging)

IF Day 3: Power Production PR!

2008-09-12T13:43:00.001-07:00

Day 3 of IF, and while it is too soon to make any solid judgments, early signs are favorable:

-A near PR in FGB; 284
-A decent performance in Josh
-A PR in the Push-Jerk (185x2)
-Increased mental acuity
-Improved recovery time
-Improved injury healing
-Probable ease in compliance

If this works favorably for my body composition, and the above effects are persistent, I'll be ecstatic!

Today:

*21 hour fast (except 30 calories in one serving of "Black Powder" pre-WOD)

*WOD: Push-Jerk 3-3-3-3-3
155-170-175-180(PR)-185x2(F, but a PR)

Food: .5 lb broccoli in cheese sauce, double cheeseburger (96/4 lean) on Diabetic Lifestyles bread, Can of Salmon, 2 builder bars, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. 1 Trader Joe's Thin Crust Pizza with Ham and Gruyere Cheese.

About 16 blocks +2x fat

Yesterday I only managed about 11 blocks before the clock ran out on my 6-hour window, so I need to make sure to plan my eating well.
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