Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Fire in the Sky

ME Lower - 31Dec08

Max Effort Lower Body

Good Mornings - Worked up to 205 x 3 (PR!)
Glute Ham Raises - 3 x 10 (Blue Band + 10-lbs)
Pull Throughs - 3 x 10
Side Bends - 3 x 10 x 75 lbs

Arad Fort at Night

CrossFit - 29Dec08

"Michael"

3 Rounds for time:
- Run 800 meters
- 50 Back Extensions
- 50 Situps

Time: 21:03

Well off my best time, but I just don't do as well when use a treadmill during a WOD.

Nice Ride!


Sorry for the delay in posting...internet has been acting crazy the last few days! Anyways, I just couldn't resist taking this picture. As you can see, they have hoopties even in Bahrain. Note the kick-ass purple headlight covers...YES!!!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

CrossFit - 28Dec08

Complete as many rounds as possible 20 minutes of:
- 95 pound Thruster, 5 reps
- 95 pound Hang Powercleans, 7 reps
- 95 pound Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps

Total: 9 Rounds

This was pretty rough, I tried to do 1 round every 2 minutes, but only managed to sustain that through the first 10 minutes. I fell off the pace after that. On a positive note, I feel like my body is starting to adjust to the CrossFit workouts again, I didn't feel like I was going to die today. LOL! :-)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

DE Upper - 27Dec08

Dynamic Effort Bench - 9 x 3 x 115 + Blue Band (Reg., Wide, Close Grips)
Weighted Ring Dips - 15 x 25-lbs, 9 x 35-lbs, 5 x 35-lbs
Incline Dumbell Press - 3 x 10 x 50-lbs
Hanging Leg Raises (Feet to Bar) - 3 x 10

Thursday, December 25, 2008

CrossFit - 25Dec08

"Eva"

5 Rounds for Time:
(Scaled down to 3 Rounds)

- Run 800-m
- 30 KB Swings, 75-lbs
- 30 Pull-ups

Time: 32:45

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Litter Box...Me?!

Joe's cat, Sabina, was slightly confused. She has beautiful eyes though.

CrossFit - 24Dec08

"Grace"

For Time:
30 reps, Clean & Jerk - 135 lbs

Time: 6:29 (PR!!!)

I'm still shocked at how much the Catalyst Athletics programming has improved my CrossFitting in just a few months. I have a long way to go before my cardiovascular system has caught back up to where it used to be, but the extra strength and proficiency in the C&J still pushed me to a new PR.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

DE Lower - 23Dec08

Dynamic Effort Squats

Box Squats - 8 x 2 x 135 + Blue Bands
Glute-Ham Raises - 3 x 10 w/ Blue Band
Pull Through - 3 x 10 w/ Blue Band

Monday, December 22, 2008

The Goal - The 2009 CrossFit Games



My goal for the New Year is to qualify to compete in the 2009 CrossFit Games which will be held July 11-13 in Aromas, California. The number, type, and duration of the events are unknown and will probably not be revealed until a week prior to the Games commencing (as was the protocol last year). Last year, registration for the Games was first-come first-serve, but this year they will be holding regional qualifiers around the globe. The details for the qualifiers are as of yet, unknown, but I will most certainly be following the website for updates.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Cracked Up

This is the bottom of a door frame at a friend's house. Although, I think I focused a bit too much on the foreground.

CrossFit - 21Dec08

"Mary"

Max rounds in 20-minutes:
- 5 Handstand Push-ups
- 10 One legged squats, alternating legs
- 15 Pull-ups

Total: 9 Rounds in 18:30

I ended up stopping because my hands were on the verge of tearing. I've got some small blisters, but the skin didn't tear open. I guess that's what I get for doing 130 pull-ups without my hands getting acclimated to CrossFit again.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Celebrity Engagement

Here we see Ellen Degeneres proposing to her life-partner Portia de Rossi (aka Joe and Sarah). My friends are too funny!

CrossFit - 20Dec08

2 Rounds for Time:

- 50 Box Jumps, 24"
- 21 Deadlifts, 185-lbs
- 30 Pull-ups

Time: 19:24

This one was rough, box jumps suck!

Friday, December 19, 2008

ME Upper - 19Dec08

Incline Bench - Blue Bands + 175-lbs
Ring Dips - 20, 12, 10

Standing Watch

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

My Life in 365

Sorry for the lack of posting, I've been swamped at work and on travel, but I'm back on track now.

Here is a customs card from my flight to Saudi Arabia, they clearly don't mess around!


CrossFit - 17Dec08

Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
- Run 400 meters
- 15 L-Pull-ups
- 15 Back Extensions

Total: 5 Rounds

L-pull-ups were tough after yesterday's TSE. The running wasn't as bad as I expected, but it definitely needs some work. Overall, I'm not too upset with my performance considering how long I've gone without doing any major MetCon work.

CrossFit - 16Dec08

"Tabata Something Else"

Pull-ups: 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10 = 75 (PR!)
Push-ups: 13, 13, 10, 10, 10, 10, 12, 11 = 89 (PR!)
Sit-ups: 16, 16, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14 = 115 (PR!)
Squats: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20 = 160 (PR!)

Total = 439 (PR!)

First full MetCon in 4 months, and I felt absolutely terrible after it was over. It took about 25 minutes to start feeling normal again and not wanting to throw up. What's crazy is that I still PR'd on each exercise and significantly on the total. Fun times.

ME Lower - 15Dec08

Max Effort Squat/Deadlift

Good Mornings - Worked up to 195 x 3

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

CA WOD - 9Dec08

Snatch - 155 x 1 x 4
Clean & Jerk - 190 x 1 x 4
Back Squat - 265 x 2 x 3

Haven't had much sleep over the last few days, didn't have alot of speed today.

My Life in 365


Continuing the holiday theme, here is one of several fountains around Manama.

Monday, December 8, 2008

My Life in 365


This is the Riffa Clock Tower in Bahrain, decorated for Eid al-Adha which is the Festival of Sacrifice.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

My Life in 365


This picture was taken from the top of my apartment building. It was a 30 second exposure so you can see the light trails from the vehicles that passed by during that time.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

My Life in 365



Today marks the first day of my new pet project: My Life in 365 (Days). As the name implies, I intend to post at least one picture per day that represents something in my life. So to start this off with some holiday cheer, here is a picture of me posing with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. (The full sized version can be found in the link to "My Flickr" on the right-hand side of the page)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

CA WOD - 2Dec08

Muscle Snatch - 155, 160 (Fail)
Snatch - 135 x 1, 150 x 1, 135 x 1, 150 x 1 x 2
Power Clean & Jerk - 165 x 1 x 4

For Time:
20-15-10
- Jumping Sit-ups
- Kipping Pull-ups
Time: 5:05

Monday, December 1, 2008

CA WOD - 1Dec08

Snatch - 155 x 1 x 4
Clean & Jerk - 190 x 1 x 4
Front Squat - 280 x 1 (PR!)
Incline Bench (Normal Grip) - 140 + 60-lbs chains x 1