I took three days off, and besides my elbow, I feel fully recovered. I've been in the zone for some days now, 13-17 blocks.
Daniel over at ROCK ON is getting good results with IF, and I'm intrigued. I did something similar to this in Tucson back in 02 and got decent results. Today I did Fight Gone Bad in a fairly fasted state (.5 cup milk in coffee, 30 calories in "Black Powder" that I took pre-WOD).
Score was 284, subbed 45# thrusters for wall-ball
Row 20/20/18
Thruster 16/15/10
SDHP 20/20/16
Box Jump 20/18/15
Push-Press 24/27/29
Total - 284
I think my best ever score was 289 with shitty form and best legit was maybe 279, so I am pretty happy with this. I am fairly certain I will (finally) hit 300 at FGB III on the 27th.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Big Fake Boobies? Glass Eyes? Lipo? Tattoos? What is "acceptable"?
I recently did a post that elicited a lot of (90% negative) comments, about considering liposuction, the gist of which were that lipo is for the vain/lazy/shallow/SoCal set.
I actually do have a cosmetic augmentation (a prosthetic eye). Is this shallow vanity? If not, what is the difference?
Is is acceptable to have giant fake tits, like those featured prominently on the national site recently? Is that different?
Is it shallow vanity to remove an unsightly but harmless mole? Why or why not?
And who amongst us has nary a tat? Is that not shallow (almost by definition) vanity?
I actually do have a cosmetic augmentation (a prosthetic eye). Is this shallow vanity? If not, what is the difference?
Is is acceptable to have giant fake tits, like those featured prominently on the national site recently? Is that different?
Is it shallow vanity to remove an unsightly but harmless mole? Why or why not?
And who amongst us has nary a tat? Is that not shallow (almost by definition) vanity?
Serious Overtraining
I guess I'm pushing into being an advanced athlete, or at least a solid intermediate. because I have STILL not recovered from the Burpee/Murph, etc. punishment.
Beginners who become overtrained will recover fairly quickly
Intermediates/advanced athletes can take weeks or months to recover
Elites can blow a whole season or year by overtraining
I did Linda RX in 28:34, a good six minutes off of my PR (at a lower bodyweight) and I'm crushed again. I took yesterday off and will give FGB a shot today, but I'm not optimistic about it.
-Plan your breaks or nature will provide them for you.
Been solidly in the zone for the last few days - 13-17 blocks fairly clean. I went shopping yesterday and I have all good clean zone food again.
Beginners who become overtrained will recover fairly quickly
Intermediates/advanced athletes can take weeks or months to recover
Elites can blow a whole season or year by overtraining
I did Linda RX in 28:34, a good six minutes off of my PR (at a lower bodyweight) and I'm crushed again. I took yesterday off and will give FGB a shot today, but I'm not optimistic about it.
-Plan your breaks or nature will provide them for you.
Been solidly in the zone for the last few days - 13-17 blocks fairly clean. I went shopping yesterday and I have all good clean zone food again.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
FGB III
FGB III is rapidly approaching. We have 7 slots left on our team: the event is September 27th @ 11 AM @ Berkeley Ironworks.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Fab Four-Blocker
I'm back in the zone. 15 blocks yesterday, 13 today.
Yesterday's breakfast (pictured)
3 eggs, 1.5 oz lox, 1 oz Neufchâtel cheese, 2 slices diabetic lifestyles bread (very low GI) 1/4 pound broccoli, 1 heirloom tomato.
4 delicious blocks + 2x fat
Thursday, September 4, 2008
What Does It Take? Cosmetic Surgery?
My post-atkins results are very discouraging.
Pre-Atkins: 178, 18% bodyfat, 146 lean
Post-Atkins: 172, 14% bodyfat, 146 lean
Now: 182, 18.5% bodyfat, 149 lean
OK, so I am a bit stronger, but I seem to go right back to an unacceptable 18% bodyfat as soon as I stop paying attention: mind you, I'm still working out harder and more frequently, and eating better than 90%++ of people so this really sucks.
Anyway, the thing that has worked the best so far is just strict zone, between 1x and 3x fat, with 14 blocks for loss and 18-19 blocks for maintainance, so I'm back at that.
I went to Bikram Yoga (which was my pre-CF fitness regimen) and it was great, but you stare in the mirror the whole time: I actually am satisfied with my body overall, but I always have "love handles" that I just hate, and I have had them even at 10.5% bodyfat, the lowest I have ever been measured at (159 pounds, over 10 years ago). I am seriously considering liposuction on just this area, at the very least I think I will go in for a consultation. I certainly would not do this before at least getting as lean as I have been in the last 10 years (13% bodyfat or below).
Yesterday I had 13 blocks, all clean and did about 150 burpees.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Horror of Overtraining
Still knocked out. This sucks. I just cannot seem to recover from the last bout of intense back-to-back workouts.
I'm eating strict zone today and doing a bit of rowing, hopefully that will help.
9AM: 3 eggs, 1.5 oz salmon, tbsp. cream cheese, .5 tsp olive oil, .5 lb broccoli, couple of cherry tomatoes, 1.5 slice diabetic lifestyles bread. 4 blocks, 2x fat.
Did Bikram which seemed to help my elbow enormously. I was really hungry after, ended up with 22 blocks for the day.
I'm eating strict zone today and doing a bit of rowing, hopefully that will help.
9AM: 3 eggs, 1.5 oz salmon, tbsp. cream cheese, .5 tsp olive oil, .5 lb broccoli, couple of cherry tomatoes, 1.5 slice diabetic lifestyles bread. 4 blocks, 2x fat.
Did Bikram which seemed to help my elbow enormously. I was really hungry after, ended up with 22 blocks for the day.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Rest Week
Part of my success with CrossFit as a moderately older athlete (early 40s)is rest/work regulation.
This should have been the last full-volume (3 day)mini-cycle, and if my timing had been perfect I would have peaked this week with new PRs in the 400 and "Nasty Girls". The brutal volume of the last two weeks, combined with the 100-day burpee challenge has left me utterly wiped however. I did peak on "Murph" with a new PR (same time as last year but C2B with 20# vest)
Yesterday, I could not, for the life of me do ONE muscle-up (generally I can do 4-6 bent arm and 2-3 full lockout). I could not even do a chicken-wing bar muscle-up!
I'm tired, my heart rate is elevated, I'm not motivated to work out, and I have several nagging injuries AKA OVERTRAINED!
So it is time to swallow my pride and OCD and take my rest week one week early. No lifting, no climbing, no sprinting of any kind. Maybe some easy Yoga would be nice. Been a while since I did Bikram, but that is too much work.
This should have been the last full-volume (3 day)mini-cycle, and if my timing had been perfect I would have peaked this week with new PRs in the 400 and "Nasty Girls". The brutal volume of the last two weeks, combined with the 100-day burpee challenge has left me utterly wiped however. I did peak on "Murph" with a new PR (same time as last year but C2B with 20# vest)
Yesterday, I could not, for the life of me do ONE muscle-up (generally I can do 4-6 bent arm and 2-3 full lockout). I could not even do a chicken-wing bar muscle-up!
I'm tired, my heart rate is elevated, I'm not motivated to work out, and I have several nagging injuries AKA OVERTRAINED!
So it is time to swallow my pride and OCD and take my rest week one week early. No lifting, no climbing, no sprinting of any kind. Maybe some easy Yoga would be nice. Been a while since I did Bikram, but that is too much work.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Blog of Note: Healthy Evelyn
CrossFit East Bay Athlete-Paralegal Ev R. Has a new blog reflecting her renewed fanata.. er, dedication to the cul.., I mean concept of CF:
http://healthyevelyn.blogspot.com/
Worth bookmarking, I'm sure this will chronicle some amazing results.
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I did the 5x10 Front Squats today.
95-115-135-155-165(fail 3 reps)
I really disliked this: perhaps it was to develop wrist flexibility? Hard to believe this sort of thing used to be the bread and butter of my training (albeit with a lot of single-joint exercises thrown in).
Monday, August 25, 2008
Murph C2B
This Time:
54:40 with 20 lb vest and vest-to-bar pull-ups. Extremely happy with this!
Last time (somehow it has been a year since I did this full volume)
54:38 with 20 lb vest and full ROM (chin over bar)
back on August 16, 2007.
Same time with far, far better pull-ups, this is the first time I have applied the new standard, and I was worried I would not be able to do it.
Nutrition-wise, I went totally off the reservation and consumed 90 grams of carbs (.5 white sugar), 40 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat before and during the WOD. I felt good throughout, and I recovered on the last half of the final mile and was able to actually run it at about a 9:00 pace.
54:40 with 20 lb vest and vest-to-bar pull-ups. Extremely happy with this!
Last time (somehow it has been a year since I did this full volume)
54:38 with 20 lb vest and full ROM (chin over bar)
back on August 16, 2007.
Same time with far, far better pull-ups, this is the first time I have applied the new standard, and I was worried I would not be able to do it.
Nutrition-wise, I went totally off the reservation and consumed 90 grams of carbs (.5 white sugar), 40 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat before and during the WOD. I felt good throughout, and I recovered on the last half of the final mile and was able to actually run it at about a 9:00 pace.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Goals Update
My quarterly goals (of my one-year CF Games 2009 training plan) ending October 5 have been met (or not) as follows:
Quarter One:
Goals: (met goals in bold)
* Bodyfat 11% (16%)
* Weight 165# (178)
* Lean = 146 (actually 149)
* CFT 800
* Mile 6:30
* Fran 5:00
* C&J 165
My body composition continues to be my greatest challenge, but it is worth keeping in mind that when I started this journey four years ago, I was 215# and 36% bodyfat with lean mass of only 137 pounds, so my body comp is far more favorable now. I still have not found a diet that will KEEP me at 10% bodyfat, although it is possible to achieve it. Interestingly, my body seems to want to weigh about 178 regardless of body comp. Possibly just concentrating on performance will help.
I will give a shot at that 5:00 fran sometime this week or next, and then concentrate on diet again to see how close I can come to meeting all of the above in six weeks. 13% bodyfat might be doable. Also the weight goal needs to be adjusted up to compensate for the additional lean mass I have gained.
Quarter One:
Goals: (met goals in bold)
* Bodyfat 11% (16%)
* Weight 165# (178)
* Lean = 146 (actually 149)
* CFT 800
* Mile 6:30
* Fran 5:00
* C&J 165
My body composition continues to be my greatest challenge, but it is worth keeping in mind that when I started this journey four years ago, I was 215# and 36% bodyfat with lean mass of only 137 pounds, so my body comp is far more favorable now. I still have not found a diet that will KEEP me at 10% bodyfat, although it is possible to achieve it. Interestingly, my body seems to want to weigh about 178 regardless of body comp. Possibly just concentrating on performance will help.
I will give a shot at that 5:00 fran sometime this week or next, and then concentrate on diet again to see how close I can come to meeting all of the above in six weeks. 13% bodyfat might be doable. Also the weight goal needs to be adjusted up to compensate for the additional lean mass I have gained.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Helen
I have been eating a fair amount of Carbs. Somewhere between 100-150 a day I suppose: I had about 115 grams of carbs before the WOD today.
Helen: 11:07 RX. Better than last time (Atkins Induction) which was 11:59, and it felt easier too: I could have gone faster, everything was unbroken. My best time on this is 10:13, and if I continue to improve at this rate, under 10:00 is in sight, which would be great (and would probably mean I could get a sub 5:00 Fran too). Pretty sure I could hit a sub 6:00 Fran now).
I still have not found the sweet spot that will let me get lean and strong at the same time. I'm going to look back over my notes in this blog, try and cherry pick what worked and see what I can put together.
Helen: 11:07 RX. Better than last time (Atkins Induction) which was 11:59, and it felt easier too: I could have gone faster, everything was unbroken. My best time on this is 10:13, and if I continue to improve at this rate, under 10:00 is in sight, which would be great (and would probably mean I could get a sub 5:00 Fran too). Pretty sure I could hit a sub 6:00 Fran now).
I still have not found the sweet spot that will let me get lean and strong at the same time. I'm going to look back over my notes in this blog, try and cherry pick what worked and see what I can put together.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
CrossFit East Bay WOD 8-17-08 @ Ironworks
WOD
How many rounds in 20 minutes?
12 KB deadlift
3 KB clean left arm
3 KB push-press left arm
9 KB swing
3 KB clean left arm
3 KB push-press left arm
Men: 1.5 P
Women 1.0 P
Refer back to 3-02-08
We will do the national WOD:
Three rounds, 15-12- and 9 reps, for time of:
135 pound Thruster
Muscle-ups
on Thursday at GWPC.
Sub will be "Fran".
Friday, August 15, 2008
CrossFit East Bay WOD @ Ironworks 8-16-08
WOD
3 rounds for time:
Run 800 Meters
50 weighted feet anchored sit-ups 35#/25#
50 45# Good Mornings
50 Kettlebell Swings 55#/35#
Thursday, August 14, 2008
CrossFit East Bay WOD @ GWPC 8-15-08
More progress. Pull-Up bar is 75% done and will be put to the test tomorrow in the following WOD:
Friday 080815
For time:
50 Pull-ups
50 Ring Dips
40 Pull-ups
40 Ring Dips
30 Pull-ups
30 Ring Dips
20 Pull-ups
20 Ring Dips
10 Pull-ups
10 Ring Dips
Post time to comments.
The Fall with Brian MacKenzie, CrossFit Endurance - video [wmv] [mov]
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
CrossFit East Bay WOD @ GWPC 8-14-08
Here is the first 5 feet of our 20-foot pull-up bar built by engineer, welder and bad-ass CrossFitter Daniel Hester. Per request of our taller members, this is a super-high pull-up bar (8' 6"), and we will be building plyo boxes in 20", 24" and 26" heights for our less-tall folks to get up to it. One bonus of such a high bar is that it will be ideal for hanging rings for muscle-ups for those of us of normal height or less. I also think it would be a fun idea to put some holds on the wall so one could climb up in a few easy moves.
WOD "A"
For time
25 Squats
75 Double-Unders
50 Squats
50 Double-Unders
75 Squats
25 Double-Unders
WOD "B"
For time:
528 burpees
Note: this is "all in" for the CFSC Burpee Challenge, 1 burpee first day, 2, burpees second day, 3 burpees third day ... 100 burpees hundredth day for a total of 5050 burpees.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
CrossFit East Bay WOD @ Ironworks 8-13-08
Raphael in the top position of the Zercher Clean. Learn it. Love it.
- Pull-Up bars are done and will be installed this week.
Wednesday 080813
For time:
20 Sit-ups
20 Supermen
95 pound Thrusters, 30 reps
50 Pull-ups
60 Sit-ups
60 Supermen
95 pound Thrusters, 20 reps
35 Pull-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Supermen
95 pound Thrusters, 10 reps
20 Pull-ups
Post time to comments.
Hollow Rock, Jeff Tucker - video [wmv] [mov]
Monday, August 11, 2008
CrossFit East Bay Rest Day 8-12-08: No Excuses
Take a look at this picture of CF East Bay Athlete Ynez A. doing a workout despite being on crutches. Now what's your excuse for not getting your workout on?
I think it is time to revive the "Excuse Board" and start perscribing healthy doses of "YBF".
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Performance Increase
Around 90 g of carbs again yesterday.
My performance seems to be climbing again, now that I am eating a diet that agrees with me and am at a lower bodyweight.
WOD (1/2 volume week)
75 Wall-Ball Shots for time:
4:15
Happy with this, very painful!
I climbed well today @ GWPC:
"Falcon" 5.9; easy, no elbow pain
"Star Trek" 5.11a/b; way hard, made it to the top with two rests, some pain.
"Ultraman" 5.10d; this was some of the smoothest technical climbing I have done, minimal pain
5.9 cooldown, easy, minimal pain
My performance seems to be climbing again, now that I am eating a diet that agrees with me and am at a lower bodyweight.
WOD (1/2 volume week)
75 Wall-Ball Shots for time:
4:15
Happy with this, very painful!
I climbed well today @ GWPC:
"Falcon" 5.9; easy, no elbow pain
"Star Trek" 5.11a/b; way hard, made it to the top with two rests, some pain.
"Ultraman" 5.10d; this was some of the smoothest technical climbing I have done, minimal pain
5.9 cooldown, easy, minimal pain
Tweaking The Zone
CFEB new Boxless Box
I had 90 grams of carbs (all low-GI) yesterday, probably twice that much protein and a huge amount of fat, mostly in the form of Cashew-Macadamia Nut Butter from TJ's.
I took Robb Wolf's advice and saved a bunch of the carbs for post-workout recovery.
I feel absolutely fantastic today, and I'm still in benign dietary ketosis. I'm going to stick to this scheme, which, interestingly, is exactly the amount Robb is suggesting for folks with mild insulin resistance (18 blocks = 180 grams of carb/2 = 90 grams).
Yesterday's workout (scaled for .5 volume week)
25 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm, 21 reps
25 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm, 21 reps
21 Pull-ups
25 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm, 15 reps
25 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm, 15 reps
15 Pull-ups
25 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm, 9 reps
25 pound Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm, 9 reps
9 Pull-ups
Time: 11:39
Not stellar, but I felt some exercise-induced euphoria again during and after which is a HUGE bonus. Pull-ups all easily unbroken (lower bodyweight makes a massive difference) mostly c2b, I think.
I climbed afterward, but my inured elbow shut me down repeatedly:
5.6 (warm-up)
5.10a (painful on elbow)
5.10b (slightly painful, technical route)
5.10d (elbow pain forced me to stop, slabby)
Evelyn hangdoged the 5.10d with two rests, very nice technical climbing with a bit of thugging at the top.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Carbs!
I took the carbs up to 60 yesterday, including a little bit of red wine, and I feel human again. I'm still in mild ketosis.
I really missed fruit more than anything! I got 2 lbs of blueberries from TJ's so that will be my main source of carb over the next few days.
It will be interesting to see what happens to my performance today.
Robb Wolf did a Blog post mentioning my Atkins experience today:
http://robbwolf.com/?p=110#comment-4715
I really missed fruit more than anything! I got 2 lbs of blueberries from TJ's so that will be my main source of carb over the next few days.
It will be interesting to see what happens to my performance today.
Robb Wolf did a Blog post mentioning my Atkins experience today:
http://robbwolf.com/?p=110#comment-4715
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
8-05-08: OWL
I am pleased with the results of Atkins on my body composition, and I lost the expected amount (8# in two weeks), all bodyfat.
It is clear to me that Atkins is not for athletes, but I am sold on a carbohydrate-restricted low-GI diet.
I'm taking the carbs up to 60 today and will see if I still produce ketones tomorrow. Atkins' recommendation is to go up 5g per week (i.e. 25 g this week) and limits most people to 90 g carb ultimately.
If I took that route, it would take 13 weeks just to get to that level and that is 13 weeks I don't have to spare as far as working on my other athletic goals for the quarter in preparation for CF games 2009:
Quarter One:
Goals:
* Bodyfat 11% (currently 14%)
* Weight 165# (currently 172)
* Lean = 146 (currently 147)
* CFT 800: DONE
* Mile 6:30: DONE
* Fran 5:00 (currently 6:39)
* C&J 165 (UNK, might be able to do this now)
This diet was BRUTAL, even though there was no hunger, I felt pretty much like shit the whole time.
It is clear to me that Atkins is not for athletes, but I am sold on a carbohydrate-restricted low-GI diet.
I'm taking the carbs up to 60 today and will see if I still produce ketones tomorrow. Atkins' recommendation is to go up 5g per week (i.e. 25 g this week) and limits most people to 90 g carb ultimately.
If I took that route, it would take 13 weeks just to get to that level and that is 13 weeks I don't have to spare as far as working on my other athletic goals for the quarter in preparation for CF games 2009:
Quarter One:
Goals:
* Bodyfat 11% (currently 14%)
* Weight 165# (currently 172)
* Lean = 146 (currently 147)
* CFT 800: DONE
* Mile 6:30: DONE
* Fran 5:00 (currently 6:39)
* C&J 165 (UNK, might be able to do this now)
This diet was BRUTAL, even though there was no hunger, I felt pretty much like shit the whole time.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Atkins Induction Day 13
Even eating as much as I felt like yesterday, I still ended up with a caloric deficit of 2,147 calories (i'm very active). I felt ground down, and did not complete the two of the last three WODs. I'm chalking it up to the diet and considering it a sunk cost to have missed them. I am much closer to my weight goal for the quarter though (165, 11% bodyfat by Oct. 4th).
July 24th: 179.5 18% bodyfat (147 lean)
Aug. 2nd 171.5 14% bodyfat (147 lean)
- size 34 pants fit (barely) again.
The weight loss on Atkins seems to be as advertised, I seem to have low "metabolic resistance".
The mental/performance/physical benefits seem vastly overblown at least for me. I did experience some exercise-induced euphoria (perhaps the runners high occurs when the body is totally depleted of glycogen and has to use fat as fuel?). My performance overall was compromised as follows:
Strength/muscle mass: not affected
Stamina: down perhaps 20%
Endurance: totally compromised, perhaps on the order of 50%
Conclusion: a VLCD is fantastic for reducing bodyfat without loosing muscle mass. In addition, there is NO hunger on such a diet, which seems to reinforce Gary Taub's hypothesis that hunger causes fat and not the other way around. A VLCD does not, however seem to enhance performance, at least for me. Coach has stated that a diet much under 40% carbohydrate will not support CF-type metabolic loads, so this was not unexpected. Being able to loose 8 lbs of pure bodyfat in less than two weeks with no loss of muscle mass is pretty amazing, and this might be a great diet to pair with a two-week strength cycle at some point.
July 24th: 179.5 18% bodyfat (147 lean)
Aug. 2nd 171.5 14% bodyfat (147 lean)
- size 34 pants fit (barely) again.
The weight loss on Atkins seems to be as advertised, I seem to have low "metabolic resistance".
The mental/performance/physical benefits seem vastly overblown at least for me. I did experience some exercise-induced euphoria (perhaps the runners high occurs when the body is totally depleted of glycogen and has to use fat as fuel?). My performance overall was compromised as follows:
Strength/muscle mass: not affected
Stamina: down perhaps 20%
Endurance: totally compromised, perhaps on the order of 50%
Conclusion: a VLCD is fantastic for reducing bodyfat without loosing muscle mass. In addition, there is NO hunger on such a diet, which seems to reinforce Gary Taub's hypothesis that hunger causes fat and not the other way around. A VLCD does not, however seem to enhance performance, at least for me. Coach has stated that a diet much under 40% carbohydrate will not support CF-type metabolic loads, so this was not unexpected. Being able to loose 8 lbs of pure bodyfat in less than two weeks with no loss of muscle mass is pretty amazing, and this might be a great diet to pair with a two-week strength cycle at some point.
Atkins Induction Day 12
This is induction day 12. Yesterday I misread the WOD:
Row 1000 meters
85 pound Thruster, 21 reps
15 Pull-ups
Row 750 meters
85 pound Thruster, 18 reps
12 Pull-ups
Row 500 meters
85 pound Thruster, 15 reps
9 Pull-ups
Rest 2 minutes between each round. Time each round separately and post times to comments.
Instead I did:
Row 1000 meters
85 pound Thruster, 21 reps
Row 750 meters
85 pound Thruster, 15 reps
Row 500 meters
85 pound Thruster, 9 reps
Rest 2 minutes between each round. Time each round separately and post times to comments.
I realized my mistake as soon as I was done (I had printed out the WOD in tiny print), so I did a final round of:
Row 250 meters
85 pound Thruster 6 reps
Times were 4:35/3:30/2:29/1:23
I felt pretty good during this workout.
Today is the last day of my three-week full volume cycle, but, due to the performance-decreasing effects of the ketogenic diet and my error of yesterday, I owe: 10K, 24 muscle-ups and 36 pull-ups, plus Griff (and my 30 burpees owed for the challenge). I will try and get all of this done today, so I can ACTUALLY do my 1/2 volume week (last 1/2 volume week I did 3 full-volume WODs).
Perhaps I will do:
AM
For time:
Buy-In 30 burpees
Five rounds
run 2K
5 muscle-ups
Cash-Out; 36 pull-ups
PM
"Griff"
Row 1000 meters
85 pound Thruster, 21 reps
15 Pull-ups
Row 750 meters
85 pound Thruster, 18 reps
12 Pull-ups
Row 500 meters
85 pound Thruster, 15 reps
9 Pull-ups
Rest 2 minutes between each round. Time each round separately and post times to comments.
Instead I did:
Row 1000 meters
85 pound Thruster, 21 reps
Row 750 meters
85 pound Thruster, 15 reps
Row 500 meters
85 pound Thruster, 9 reps
Rest 2 minutes between each round. Time each round separately and post times to comments.
I realized my mistake as soon as I was done (I had printed out the WOD in tiny print), so I did a final round of:
Row 250 meters
85 pound Thruster 6 reps
Times were 4:35/3:30/2:29/1:23
I felt pretty good during this workout.
Today is the last day of my three-week full volume cycle, but, due to the performance-decreasing effects of the ketogenic diet and my error of yesterday, I owe: 10K, 24 muscle-ups and 36 pull-ups, plus Griff (and my 30 burpees owed for the challenge). I will try and get all of this done today, so I can ACTUALLY do my 1/2 volume week (last 1/2 volume week I did 3 full-volume WODs).
Perhaps I will do:
AM
For time:
Buy-In 30 burpees
Five rounds
run 2K
5 muscle-ups
Cash-Out; 36 pull-ups
PM
"Griff"
Saturday, August 2, 2008
8-2-08: Quick Update
I did "Helen" yesterday, and it felt good, I actually felt a "runner's high" while doing it, but when I finished, I was surprised to see it took 11:59, I thought I was going MUCH faster, my best time on this is 10:13.
Today (Atkins induction day 10) my ketostix showed a pleasing purple color, indicative of strong ketosis, so perhaps today's workout will be better, although since it is not a benchmark, there is no way of knowing exactly what the time means
Today (Atkins induction day 10) my ketostix showed a pleasing purple color, indicative of strong ketosis, so perhaps today's workout will be better, although since it is not a benchmark, there is no way of knowing exactly what the time means
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
7-30-08: Yardsale
Atkins induction Day 7
After increasing the carb a bit due to feeling horrible yesterday, my CFT was a recent PR @ 800, and I am fairly certain I could have DL'd 375#, but I did not feel like pushing it. However: today my performance went right down the toilet. I suspect I must have had more like 40+ g carbs yesterday? Anyway...
WOD was a 15K run, my last timed runs were
- 5K 21:30; 6:55 pace
- 5K (getting over flu) 23:30; 7:33 pace
- 2.5K 9:37; 6:11 pace
Yesterday I finished 5K (of a supposed 15K), legs feeling heavy as lead;
- 5K 34:15; 11:01 Pace
Little kids, little old ladies and emaciated weekend warriors were passing me, and I was, to my chagrin, wearing my Ironworks "Personal Trainer" shirt! Amazingly, most of the "joggers" were going at my pace or slower, pathetic.
Anyway... afterward I went out and bought "Ketostix", which indicated that I was barely in Benign Dietary Ketosis, which is the point of Atkins: so I was totally devoid of glycogen, AND I was not able to burn fat for energy, hence the amazingly bad performance.
I ate NO carbs today, besides half n half in my Coffee (2-3g carb at the very most), perhaps the first time in my life I have done so. Accounting for the glycogen in muscle meat consumed, maybe 5g carbs at the very outside.
Another possible culprit is diet soda. It is possible that just the sweet taste provokes an insulin response. The jury is out on this:
http://www.sucralose.org/facts.html
Fact: Sucralose is safe for people with diabetes
Numerous studies show that sucralose is not recognized by the body as a carbohydrate and has no effect on blood glucose control or insulin response. These studies included high-dose prolonged-use studies in normal individuals and in persons with diabetes. The FDA has concluded that the overall data on sucralose supports its safety for the general population, including people with diabetes.
However a few animal studies might suggest this is not so:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_soda#Health_concerns (Wiki take with grain of salt)
Animal studies suggest that artificial sweeteners cause body weight gain, theoretically because of a faulty insulin response, at least in cows and rats. Rats given sweeteners have steadily increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity (fatness). Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73. Adding saccharin to the food of calves increases their body weight as well.McMeniman JP, Rivera JD, Schlegel P, Rounds W, Galyean ML. Effects of an artificial sweetener on health, performance, and dietary preference of feedlot cattle. J Anim Sci. 2006 Sep;84(9):2491-500.
# ^ Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73.
# ^ McMeniman JP, Rivera JD, Schlegel P, Rounds W, Galyean ML. Effects of an artificial sweetener on health, performance, and dietary preference of feedlot cattle. J Anim Sci. 2006 Sep;84(9):2491-500.
I would like to repeat this trial, but my little nagging injuries are acting up, so it might have to be a 15K Row instead (or a 18K row, but that sounds truly frightening)once I am solidly in Ketosis (Aug 1, projected). Also I owe "Helen"...
Also I took my blood pressure at the prharmacy: 117/93, which indicates hypertension, usually, it well below the normal range, perhaps too much salt? I thought a low carb diet was supposed to LOWER your blood pressure. So far I am not incredibly impressed with Atkins (except the weight loss seems to work as advertised). I'm looking forward to eating a zone-like diet of matched carbs (7g protein, 7g carb (not to exceed 130g), whatever g fat, only whole foods, full-fat dairy, coffee and red wine).
After increasing the carb a bit due to feeling horrible yesterday, my CFT was a recent PR @ 800, and I am fairly certain I could have DL'd 375#, but I did not feel like pushing it. However: today my performance went right down the toilet. I suspect I must have had more like 40+ g carbs yesterday? Anyway...
WOD was a 15K run, my last timed runs were
- 5K 21:30; 6:55 pace
- 5K (getting over flu) 23:30; 7:33 pace
- 2.5K 9:37; 6:11 pace
Yesterday I finished 5K (of a supposed 15K), legs feeling heavy as lead;
- 5K 34:15; 11:01 Pace
Little kids, little old ladies and emaciated weekend warriors were passing me, and I was, to my chagrin, wearing my Ironworks "Personal Trainer" shirt! Amazingly, most of the "joggers" were going at my pace or slower, pathetic.
Anyway... afterward I went out and bought "Ketostix", which indicated that I was barely in Benign Dietary Ketosis, which is the point of Atkins: so I was totally devoid of glycogen, AND I was not able to burn fat for energy, hence the amazingly bad performance.
I ate NO carbs today, besides half n half in my Coffee (2-3g carb at the very most), perhaps the first time in my life I have done so. Accounting for the glycogen in muscle meat consumed, maybe 5g carbs at the very outside.
Another possible culprit is diet soda. It is possible that just the sweet taste provokes an insulin response. The jury is out on this:
http://www.sucralose.org/facts.html
Fact: Sucralose is safe for people with diabetes
Numerous studies show that sucralose is not recognized by the body as a carbohydrate and has no effect on blood glucose control or insulin response. These studies included high-dose prolonged-use studies in normal individuals and in persons with diabetes. The FDA has concluded that the overall data on sucralose supports its safety for the general population, including people with diabetes.
However a few animal studies might suggest this is not so:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_soda#Health_concerns (Wiki take with grain of salt)
Animal studies suggest that artificial sweeteners cause body weight gain, theoretically because of a faulty insulin response, at least in cows and rats. Rats given sweeteners have steadily increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity (fatness). Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73. Adding saccharin to the food of calves increases their body weight as well.McMeniman JP, Rivera JD, Schlegel P, Rounds W, Galyean ML. Effects of an artificial sweetener on health, performance, and dietary preference of feedlot cattle. J Anim Sci. 2006 Sep;84(9):2491-500.
# ^ Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73.
# ^ McMeniman JP, Rivera JD, Schlegel P, Rounds W, Galyean ML. Effects of an artificial sweetener on health, performance, and dietary preference of feedlot cattle. J Anim Sci. 2006 Sep;84(9):2491-500.
I would like to repeat this trial, but my little nagging injuries are acting up, so it might have to be a 15K Row instead (or a 18K row, but that sounds truly frightening)once I am solidly in Ketosis (Aug 1, projected). Also I owe "Helen"...
Also I took my blood pressure at the prharmacy: 117/93, which indicates hypertension, usually, it well below the normal range, perhaps too much salt? I thought a low carb diet was supposed to LOWER your blood pressure. So far I am not incredibly impressed with Atkins (except the weight loss seems to work as advertised). I'm looking forward to eating a zone-like diet of matched carbs (7g protein, 7g carb (not to exceed 130g), whatever g fat, only whole foods, full-fat dairy, coffee and red wine).
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
7-30-08: Recovered
On day six of Atkins induction, I was feeling a bit peaked, I added a tiny bit of carb, perhaps 35 grams total at most. I felt better, and after having a double bacon cheeseburger I did:
CrossFit Total:
squat 275# (failed @ 290#)
Press 160#
Deadlift 365# (easy)
Total: 800#!
Very psyched as this was a goal for September 6! Last time: 790, before that 760, PR = 860
Fairly confident I can put 25# on this next time, AND this was on day six of Atkins Induction, I have lost 5# and 3% of my bodyfat according to my Tanita.
Tomorrow's 15K shall be interesting. I'll fuel up on steak and eggs and let y'all know how it goes.
CrossFit Total:
squat 275# (failed @ 290#)
Press 160#
Deadlift 365# (easy)
Total: 800#!
Very psyched as this was a goal for September 6! Last time: 790, before that 760, PR = 860
Fairly confident I can put 25# on this next time, AND this was on day six of Atkins Induction, I have lost 5# and 3% of my bodyfat according to my Tanita.
Tomorrow's 15K shall be interesting. I'll fuel up on steak and eggs and let y'all know how it goes.
7-29-08: Wasted
The past two days I have felt AMAZINGLY worn out, but I kept doing Atkins anyway. I'm up at a hot spring type retreat where you cannot cook meat (there is a restraunt that serves meat, but you cannot cook it yourself... fucking hippies!) I think I may not be getting enough food, and my weight is dropping at a frightening pace .5- 1lb a day. That cannot be good. Also this is past the point where is is only water weight. Hopefully this means my "Metabolic Resistence" is low, and I will be able to move to a zone-like 130 grams of carbs in the near future, I think I need it as an athlete.
I finished "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Taub. I think the most amazing fact I got out of it was that on a severe hypocaloric diet of pure fat and protien, one can lose weight, spare lean muscle and not feel hungry. However, and this is the mind-blowing part, if you ADD 400 calories of carbs to this 800 calories of fat and protien, weight loss is arrested, lean tissue is sacrificed and feelings of hunger become unbearable. The implications boggle the mind.
I finished "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Taub. I think the most amazing fact I got out of it was that on a severe hypocaloric diet of pure fat and protien, one can lose weight, spare lean muscle and not feel hungry. However, and this is the mind-blowing part, if you ADD 400 calories of carbs to this 800 calories of fat and protien, weight loss is arrested, lean tissue is sacrificed and feelings of hunger become unbearable. The implications boggle the mind.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Good Calories, Bad Calories
I'm on about page 300 of "Good Calories, Bad Calories" By Taub;
It is mind-blowing, even shocking, it is hard to believe such a wonky, technical book could be such a page turner. Amongst the revelations:
The link between dietary fat, cholesterol and even saturated fat and heart disease is shall we say, tenuous.
The link between the consumption of proccessed carbohydrate and the "diseases of civilization", such as diabetes, obesity, arteroscrelosis, dementia, Alzhiemer's and cancer is striking, and convincing.
A porterhouse steak may be a much better anti-CHD (heart disease) agent than any amount of any kind of carbohydrate.
An all-meat diet can be enjoyed without any striking negative consequences whatsoever, and does not cause vitamin deficiencies.
This is, by far, the most provocative, convincing and best book I have ever read on nutrition, and I have probably read about 100 such books.
This is day five of the Atkins induction, and I have to say the most striking effect is the lack of effect. I feel fine, I'm fairly sure I'm in ketosis (need to get ketostix)and my performance is OK. Maybe not quite what it is on a strict Zone, but now that I'm in ketosis, perhaps this will change. Also there is a pronounced lack of hunger on what FitDay tells me is at least a 600 calorie negative diet.
It is mind-blowing, even shocking, it is hard to believe such a wonky, technical book could be such a page turner. Amongst the revelations:
The link between dietary fat, cholesterol and even saturated fat and heart disease is shall we say, tenuous.
The link between the consumption of proccessed carbohydrate and the "diseases of civilization", such as diabetes, obesity, arteroscrelosis, dementia, Alzhiemer's and cancer is striking, and convincing.
A porterhouse steak may be a much better anti-CHD (heart disease) agent than any amount of any kind of carbohydrate.
An all-meat diet can be enjoyed without any striking negative consequences whatsoever, and does not cause vitamin deficiencies.
This is, by far, the most provocative, convincing and best book I have ever read on nutrition, and I have probably read about 100 such books.
This is day five of the Atkins induction, and I have to say the most striking effect is the lack of effect. I feel fine, I'm fairly sure I'm in ketosis (need to get ketostix)and my performance is OK. Maybe not quite what it is on a strict Zone, but now that I'm in ketosis, perhaps this will change. Also there is a pronounced lack of hunger on what FitDay tells me is at least a 600 calorie negative diet.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Atkins Induction/Fran
I did day two of the Atkins induction yesterday. I suspect I might not be being quite strict enough: I will cut out nuts, half & half, broccoli, and anything vaguely suspect. I'll stick to animal protein, salad and other greens, avocado, olive oil, cheese, cream and butter.
I did Fran yesterday on very few carbs, certainly less than 30 g per day for the first two days. 7:18, a bit off my previous two (6:20,6:39) but not a disaster. It's going to be a struggle to get it down to 5:30 by September, but if this works, better body composition should go a long way to making the pull-ups faster. I could have gone faster, but I had a CrossFit Class to teach and did not want to be an utter mess.
I did Fran yesterday on very few carbs, certainly less than 30 g per day for the first two days. 7:18, a bit off my previous two (6:20,6:39) but not a disaster. It's going to be a struggle to get it down to 5:30 by September, but if this works, better body composition should go a long way to making the pull-ups faster. I could have gone faster, but I had a CrossFit Class to teach and did not want to be an utter mess.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Atkins Induction
I received the following email, which got me thinking:
Hey Max, I emailed you way back a few months ago about some Zone stuff and I've been continuing to follow your blog since then from over here in Washington, DC. Wanted to throw something your way as I see you are trying to hit 14 blocks on the Zone with no additional fat blocks.
I have a fairly similar build as you and was also having the exact same problems of doing really well in the Zone relatively, and still not losing those extra pounds. I just finished reading "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Taubes, and kind of decided that I was going to give up on the Zone for a little while and see what happened. I was still training hard and regularly both before and after.
I'm now three weeks into doing the Induction Phase of Atkins and I've dropped 9 lbs. I've also set PRs on three different WODs during that time, including a shaving four minutes off of the 4 rounds 400m Run/50 Squats WOD since June 3rd (www.bswcrossfit.blogspot.com).
I feel good and the food prep and eating is WAY easier than Zone. I'm planning on going to back to a Zone-similar diet once I get down to 205 and see how it goes, but wanted to pass that your way b/c it looks to me that you and I may have a similar carb sensitivity issue that may preclude us from doing the Zone, even if we just ate veggies all the time.
Anyway, thought I'd throw that your way b/c 14 blocks sounds tough and might be a lot more work than you need to do to get the same results.
Let me know what you think.
-Brian
Co-Owner/Trainer, Potomac CrossFit
Arlington, Virginia
I went out and got "Good Calories, Bad Calories" By Gary Taub, and the "Atkins New Diet Revolution" by Dr. Atkins.
A few days later, the national site (CrossFit.com) posted a link to this further vindication of Atkins: Weight Loss on Low Carb Diet Study.
This led me to find a link to a LECTURE BY GARY TAUB
After delving into all this, I am convinced, more than ever, that everything the USDA nutritional guidelines is based on, is to put it kindly, bullshit.
I embarked on day one of the Atkins two-week induction phase yesterday. It will be interesting to see how I do on "Fran" today with almost no carbohydrate in my system: it sort of sucks that the dreaded "Fran" came up today, as day two of Atkins induction is probably the low point: ketosis has not set in, there is barley any glycogen in my system, so I expect this to suck. I would happy to finish in under 10:00, or just finish. Last time was 6:20, PR is 5:20.
Hey Max, I emailed you way back a few months ago about some Zone stuff and I've been continuing to follow your blog since then from over here in Washington, DC. Wanted to throw something your way as I see you are trying to hit 14 blocks on the Zone with no additional fat blocks.
I have a fairly similar build as you and was also having the exact same problems of doing really well in the Zone relatively, and still not losing those extra pounds. I just finished reading "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Taubes, and kind of decided that I was going to give up on the Zone for a little while and see what happened. I was still training hard and regularly both before and after.
I'm now three weeks into doing the Induction Phase of Atkins and I've dropped 9 lbs. I've also set PRs on three different WODs during that time, including a shaving four minutes off of the 4 rounds 400m Run/50 Squats WOD since June 3rd (www.bswcrossfit.blogspot.com).
I feel good and the food prep and eating is WAY easier than Zone. I'm planning on going to back to a Zone-similar diet once I get down to 205 and see how it goes, but wanted to pass that your way b/c it looks to me that you and I may have a similar carb sensitivity issue that may preclude us from doing the Zone, even if we just ate veggies all the time.
Anyway, thought I'd throw that your way b/c 14 blocks sounds tough and might be a lot more work than you need to do to get the same results.
Let me know what you think.
-Brian
Co-Owner/Trainer, Potomac CrossFit
Arlington, Virginia
I went out and got "Good Calories, Bad Calories" By Gary Taub, and the "Atkins New Diet Revolution" by Dr. Atkins.
A few days later, the national site (CrossFit.com) posted a link to this further vindication of Atkins: Weight Loss on Low Carb Diet Study.
This led me to find a link to a LECTURE BY GARY TAUB
After delving into all this, I am convinced, more than ever, that everything the USDA nutritional guidelines is based on, is to put it kindly, bullshit.
I embarked on day one of the Atkins two-week induction phase yesterday. It will be interesting to see how I do on "Fran" today with almost no carbohydrate in my system: it sort of sucks that the dreaded "Fran" came up today, as day two of Atkins induction is probably the low point: ketosis has not set in, there is barley any glycogen in my system, so I expect this to suck. I would happy to finish in under 10:00, or just finish. Last time was 6:20, PR is 5:20.
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