Swimming - 17Nov (am)

I did the Swim Across the Bay here on base this morning, 2+ miles with a strong freaking current. I felt great until there was about 3/4 through, then my legs started cramping every time I tried to push through the current. I'm really happy with this though, I've never swam even remotely close to this kind of distance/time. The top finishers were around 1:40 minutes, so this was a loooong 2 miles.

Total Time: ~2:15

Powerlifting Competition - 16Nov

Today was the Powerlifting Competition on base that I've been waiting for. The winners (overall and for each event) were determined by percentages of bodyweight. The events were

- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench Press

The rules were essentially you get 3 attempts per exercise, hopefully building up weight each time.

I did a nice, easy squat warm-up consisting of 5 x 95, 3 x 135, 1 x 185 prior to the start.

Squat
245
275
295 (F)

My PR is technically 315 (and it may not have been full range - I didn't have anyone around to watch my depth, it felt like it was...but after today I have a feeling that it wasn't) but that was at 195-lbs, so I'm not too discouraged...I just need to keep working on my squats! I KNOW I've hit 275 butt-to-ankles before, so I think I'm going to regress and call that my TRUE PR and work from there.

I then did a warm up for the Deadlift: 5 x 135, 3 x 185, 1 x 225

Deadlift
315
345
385 (Tie PR!!!) This was UGLY!, but that's OK, a lift is a lift.

I was debating if I should go with 365, 375, or 385 for my final lift almost all the way until it was time for me to step back up to the platform. I felt good at 345, so I decided, "Hell, why not!" It paid off, but it was DEFINATELY my max.

Warm up for the bench 3 x 135, 1 x 155

Bench Press
185
215
235 (F) - Got hung halfway up. In hindsight, I should've gone 225-lbs, but I was feeling confident after the Deadlift and 215 felt pretty easy. Sometimes you just gotta go with your instincts and not be afraid. It just didn't pay off this time. After the competition, I went to the weight room and hit 225 just so I could tell myself that I COULD hit that weight.

Total Weight: 875-lbs (4.81 x bodyweight)

I was hoping for 5 x bodyweight, but I'm very happy with these results for my first competition. Unfortunately, they didn't have running totals going after each event, nor did they tell everyone's final standings, maybe they'll post them somewhere so everyone can see were they fell overall. The winner put up a total of 1305-lbs at 195-lbs bodyweight, so I was way in the back...but can he do a muscle-up? HAHA!

I wanted to thank everyone on the CrossFit.com forums for giving me ALOT of great advice that REALLY REALLY helped me out!

Rest Day - 15Nov

On CrossFit.com today, the mental WOD is to select and post your favorite quote.

I WILL PERSIST
By Og Mandino

I will persist until I succeed. I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins.
I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd, I am a lion and I refuse to walk, to talk, to sleep with the sheep.
I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep.
The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.
I will persist until I succeed.
The prizes of life are at the end of each journey not near the beginning, and it is not given unto me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.
Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road.
Never will I know how close it lies unless I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another and yet another.
In truth one step at a time is not that difficult.

Powerlifting - 14Nov (am)

Prep workout for Friday's Powerlifting Competition

5-4-3-2-1
Deadlift: 155
Bench Press: 115
Squat: 135

I feel like apologizing for today's 3 Bars of Death aka "Linda," I feel like it's my fault since I mentioned that bitch's name. I'm terrified to see what would happen if I said it 3 times into a mirror...

Anywho, it should go without saying that this workout would've been WAAAAAY too easy under any other circumstance. I took my time and really focused on form/technique (especially the pause at the bottom of the BP). It only took me about 7 minutes to go all the way through, and I barely broke a sweat, exactly how I wanted it.

What was messed up was that Justin was doing the real "Linda" - albeit scaled down for his first time with her - right next to me, so I blasted through mine and then motivated him for the next 35 minutes (42 total). He was cussing me the whole way, "How the hell did you convince me to start this CrossFit stuff?!" I just laughed and told him to get back on the bar...

Rest Day - 13Nov

Not alot of sleep, was running around all day running errands instead of sleeping (it had to be done). I'm DEFINITELY not happy about getting less than 3 hours of sleep. Ah, the joys of shift work and the military.

Powerlifting - 12Nov (pm)

Today was my practice "meet" (aka me lifting by myself) for the Powerlifting Competition on Friday night. My goal was to build up to my opening weights for Friday. My legs felt like smashed dog $#!T from yesterday's run, but it builds character, right...?

Squat
135 x 7
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
275 x 1 (F)

Bench Press
115 x 7
135 x 5
155 x 1
185 x 1 (Felt really good)
195 x 1 (Still felt good)

Deadlift
185 x 7
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
335 x 1 (HEAVY!)

Although my legs were really sore and felt terrible, my biggest mistake (and one that I realize now that I do too often) is I went with too many reps with biggish (for me) weights. The Deads are a perfect example, I should've gone 155 x 5 and 185 x 3, then started my singles - which is exactly what I'll do at the Comp. Same with the Squats, there's no reason for me to do 7 reps of anything at this stage, unless it's just the bar. It just starts draining energy/strength, even though it feels easy. I'm just REALLY glad that I figured that out before Friday.

Running - 11Nov (am)

Brian and I ran Ridgeline this morning - 5 miles of brutally steep uphills and downhills - and we were flying. We ended up averaging 8:15/mile the whole way, which is about 0:45-1:00/mile faster than my usual pace when I'm by myself. I felt pretty good considering how fried my legs felt when we started. Although, I'm sure I'll be paying for the last 3 days all of next week.

Total Time: 41:15

CrossFit - 10Nov (pm)

- Row 1000m
- 25 Double Unders
- Row 750m
- 50 Double Unders
- Row 500m
- 100 Double Unders

There is no rowing machine here, so we subbed 10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls for every 100m of Rowing; so basically: 100 SDHP, 75 SDHP, and 50 SDHP.

Then there were my arch nemesis - Double Unders. UGH!!! I hate these so much, every time they come up, I almost end up killing someone in the gym, usually for something as benevolent as giving me encouragement. Real mature, I know...but what can I say, DUs absolutely crush me every time.

Total Time: 28:35

CrossFit - 9Nov (pm)

Todays' workout was a choice of "Cindy" or "Mary," I didn't do either. Instead, I decided to do "Chelsea" because it's a workout I've wanted to do for a long time and since it's the same exercises as "Cindy" just in a different format, I thought today would be a good day to give it a go.

Complete 1 round every minute on the minute for 30 minutes:
- 5 pull ups
- 10 push ups
- 15 Air Squats

COMPLETED!

This workout is definitely just as much mental as it is physical. After about the 10th round, it just hurts constantly and you have to keep pushing through it.

PRT - 9Nov (am)

Ran the Navy PRT this morning.

-Max "Curl ups" (Navy's weak version of a sit up) in 2 min
- Rest 2 min
- Max Pushups in 2 min
- Rest 10 min
- Run 1.5 miles

Results:
- 101 Curl ups (Max required)
- 85 Pushups (Max required - finished in 1:02)
- 8:51

I'm pretty happy with these results. I could've easily banged out 120 curlups and 100+ pushups, but since I maxed out my scores, there's no point in doing more...it just takes away from the run (which I needed to finish faster than 8:55). As for the run, it was only about 7 seconds slower than the last PRT 6 months ago when ALL I did was run. Considering the leaps and bounds that I've improved at EVERYTHING else, I'm very very happy with the time.

Running - 8Nov (am)

Did 3 miles with a 4 round Tabata thrown in just to give my legs a little pick-me-up. Felt pretty good the whole way, there's still a little residual muscle soreness from the squats last week, but nothing bad.

Total Time: 24:45

Rest Day - 7Nov

Another rest day. I need this mentally more than anything else. Hip feels almost 100% better, the 400m runs didn't bother it like I thought it would, so that's a good indictor that I didn't actually injure myself. Crisis averted.

CrossFit - 6Nov (pm)

Back Squat
1-1-1-1-1-1-1

135 x 7
225 x 3
245 x1
255 x 1
265 x 1
285 (F)
275 x 1
275 (F)
255 x 1
255 x 1

Legs just had nothing left, called it at 6 reps. Still not too happy about this. I felt great at 265 but 285 just crushed me. I really wasn't in it mentally today, but what else is new...that's been the trend for the last 2 weeks.

CrossFit - 5Nov (pm)

WOD:

4 Rounds for time
- 400m Run
- Rest 2:00

This one really hurt, that first 400 was WAYYY too fast, but one of the guys I was running with went out like a cannon and my competitive fire got the best of me; I held back to about 90% as I didn't drop the hammer on the last 150m, but I still paid the price for that lap for the rest of the workout.

65-sec, 71-sec, 75-sec, 76-sec (4:47 mile)
Total Time: 10:50

CrossFit - 5Nov (am)

MEBB - Bench Press

3-3-3-1-1-1

My left tricep muscle/tendon (where it joins with the elbow) was pretty sore today after yesterday's muscle ups. I just lost the ability to push with any real force with my left arm.

195 x 3
205 x 3
215 (F #3)
205 x 3
215 x 1
215 x 1
225 x 1 (Did a negative rep and had help on finishing the press)

CrossFit - 4Nov (pm)

Barbarian Fitness in action!!!



"Nasty Girls"

3 Rounds for time
- 50 Air Squats
- 7 Muscle Ups
- 10 Hang Cleans (135-lbs)

Felt much better today, the 2 days of rest really helped. Hip is still a litle sore, but only when I move awkwardly. On the Muscle Ups, I didn't go down to full open-shoulder extension, nor full 'rings turned outward' lockout, but those will come with time (besides they don't do either in the Nasty Guys video...haha). I completed 19 muscle ups on the rings and then hit the wall. I failed 4 times with a decent amount of rest each time and physically could not do any more. So I ended up going over to the V-bar on the crossover machine and did the last 2 consecutively.

The cleans felt really good, I did all 3 sets straight through and was able to do the momentum swing at the bottom, which really helped.

All in all, I'm really stoked about this workout. It's a little disappointing that I couldn't get those last 2 ring muscle ups. But I went into this workout thinking I would be happy if I managed to get through the first set of 7 muscle ups on the rings, much less damn near the entire workout.

Total Time: 19:24

The Athlete's Zone

Since watching the Nutrition Part 2 video from this month's CrossFit Journal, I've started wondering if my diminished performance over the last week has been due to not getting enough fats in my diet. So as per Coach's suggestion, I've started modifying my intake to dropping down from 22-23 blocks to 19-20 and upping the fats to 2x. I'll give this 2 weeks or so to see what my weight does and see how I start feeling. I've also started taking 2 or 3 Fish Oil capsules at every meal due to scientific finding that it can actually improve VO2Max and Ventilatory Anaerobic Threshold (VAT). Everything is an experiment of one.

Rest Day - 3Nov

Rest day number #2...I decided I really needed to not run the 5K and take another day off for my poor hip. So that's what I did, I rested. Kudos to me. It's feeling better, so patience is paying off. Nasty Girls tomorrow...that should be interesting.

Rest Day - 2Nov

Resting today for my hips (which started off feeling tight and sore this morning but feel better now) and for the 5K race tomorrow.

CrossFit - 1Nov

"Diane"

21-15-9
- 225-lbs Deadlifts
- Handstand Pushups

New Globo-Gym rule: Shoes must be off while doing Handstand pushups against the wall. I'm not too upset about that, at least we're ALLOWED to do HSPUs. I didn't stop the clock for putting on and taking off my shoes, so figure my actual time was around 14-flat...but that's nothing but an excuse.

Total Time: 14:22