CROSSFIT!

This month my goal has been to try something new...either Nashville Kettlebell or Crossfit was on my list. On Monday Crossfit CFT located here in Nashville had an On Ramp class happening for beginners, and Kristin and I were able to jump in. I suppose I jumped, and Kristin kinda tagged along for the ride. Ends up that Kristin's over-developed sense of competition really got her pumped and now she is ready to do some CrossFit competitions. Overall we both really loved the atmosphere and the coaches; working out in a group atmosphere like this really can't be beat. All the teachings really line up with my current beliefs and goals relative to fitness, and the coaches have a great style of presenting the information. Suffice it to say, we're both super pumped about getting involved with CrossFit!

Monday's workout:

Dynamic range of motion

Practice of Squats, Ring rows, Pushups

MetCon:

Run 200 meters

15,12,9 of

Squats

Pushups

BW ring rows

Run 200 meters

My time: 5:58

Tuesday:

Dynamic range of motion

Strength:

Weighted pull-ups x 3-5 reps with 20lb. weight vest

Weighted dips x 5 reps with 20lb. weight vest

Wednesday:

Practice:

Shoulder press (military, push-press)

Deadlift (barbell, kettlebell, medicine ball)

Metcon:

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

KB deadlift x 16kg

Dumbbell pushpress x 15lbs.

My time: 6:02

MIA

Where have I been? Surfing in California, drinking fine wine, hanging with family, and "growing" a mustache!

It's been great, and one of the most satisfying things for me after this trip is that I don't feel I lost anything in my training and progress toward awesomeness at all...in fact I feel like I gained some strength. I suppose surfing for 8 one day and 3 hours the next will leave you feeling like you accomplished something physically.

It used to be that I would drop every form of exercise when I went away on a trip. I always had great expectations for running everyday, doing bodyweight work in the hotel room, or weights in the gym, but that never seemed to happen. I think this may have happened for a few reasons; 1) I was getting too mentally exhausted with my obsessive workout routine that I needed a mental break, 2) I couldn't get myself to workout if it wasn't going to be a world-class workout - so if I didn't an hour or have weights/pull-up bar - that would serve as a reason to postpone rather than doing something, and 3) some combination of those two and other factors of which I am currently unaware.

So, in keeping with my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule...I worked out on Wednesday before I left, and then on Friday...while I was on vacation! The Friday workout consisted of this:

-warm-up/stretching/mobility

-3 sets of:

10 one leg squats

20-30 pushups

20 restricted range of motion body weight rows

-Finished up with core stability work and bridging

Nothing too interesting or ambitious, BUT I actually did it, and that was what I was looking for. The body weight rows are the one exercise I would note...I had to use one of those foldable suitcase holders/stands that are in most hotel rooms for those. I just balanced it in the "folded" position and did rows under that. Again, it wasn't full range of motion, but it worked and gave a pulling exercise in the hotel room.

Then Sunday and Monday I hit the beach for surfing. Some of the spots required lots of paddling...Mondos in particular had breaks hundreds of yards off the coast, so I got a nice workout doing that. And I couldn't have had more fun doing it!

Then I was back in town, and picked up working out again on Thursday.

I've decided that the next phase of my training is going to focus on "bulking"...as I'm still under-weight from where I feel I should be post motorcycle accident. I'm going to do my best to have the gains be primarily "lean" much like some of the ideas discussed at Martin Berkhan's blog Leangains.

For this phase the nutrition plan I'm going to try will be a modified version of the IF (intermittent fasting) approach that Martin describes on his blog. On off days, I plan on fasting through breakfast, and using an 8 hour eating window. On my workout days I plan on working out early and eating soon after. I plan on eating more carbs on workout days and less on off days. The majority of my diet should be whole foods with plenty of protein and fats in the diet as well. I haven't quite worked out how this is going to go exactly, but I'm just going to jump in and try it and see how it goes.

As far as workouts go, I want to focus on strength gains. Based on reading ideas by Steve Maxwell and Martin Berkhan, I plan on my strength gains being largely representative of body composition changes. If I am increasing in the number/weight I can chin...I am probably increasing muscle while losing, maintaining or having minimal fat gains. If I notice that I am starting to have lower numbers in my chin-ups then I'll know that I'm probably gaining too much fat. So, my strength will be a good gauge of how I am progressing.

I think I will be trying Nashville Kettlebell for a while. I hope that in doing so I'll strengthen my weaker links...especially my lower back. If I feel the urge, I'll do some strength work at home consisting of pulling exercises (chins/pull-ups/BW rows), pushing (dips, pushups, handstands), and leg exercises (deadlifts, squats).

See you tomorrow...

Nutrition

If you want to be fit, then you need to maintain a healthier diet. It sounds simple, but it’s difficult for some of us to do. I was eating a new healthy snack that I enjoy the other day and I thought we needed to work more on nutrition (or at least I do). I want us to add a Recipe/Nutrition section on the blog-site, one in which will offer solid recipes for us to share and beneficial nutrition and snack ideas. Nutrition is just as important as the exercising especially if you are trying to tone and/or slim. I am very guilty when it comes to my eating pleasures. So I know finding enjoyable healthy alternatives for snacks and meals will benefit me greatly. It would be nice to have a spot that offers suggestions for snacks to purchase when I go to the store and how they may benefit us. We can offer our own reviews. Also recipe ideas for making meals would be great to access. What do you all think?

My snack I was enjoying will be my first post suggestion. It was Sun-Maid Mediterranean Dried Apricots. I find them to be delicious. A handful of them offer 11% of your daily value for potassium and 12% of dietary fiber. They are low in sodium and have no fat. So Enjoy!

Also, the package label has a healthy food fitness award logo. This is an award giving by the experts at Fitness magazine as a healthy, nutritious food. Perhaps I can research some of their snack options, among others and we can start our own list as well.

June Twenty-third, Two thousand and ten

4 sets of:

-Lunges x 16kg KB

-Hack squat x 16kg KB

-Ring dips

-Ring rows

Then 3 sets of:

Hanging leg raises/twisters

MLC (burpee pull-up combos)

GO USA!

June Twenty-first, Two thousand and ten - The War Within

3 rounds of:

20 reps Goblet squats x 16kg

10 2-hand swings x 16kg

6-8 KB military press R/L x 16kg

6 Chin-ups

2 rounds of:

Abwheel rollouts (prep for ring roll outs)

Side plank x 30 sec.

Bird dogs (extended elbow to knee x 5 each side)

Bridges

3 minutes of "The war within" (find a long hill...sprint up for 10/15 seconds, walk down for 20/30 seconds...get to the top). The name "The war within" is based off of classic approach-avoidance conflict theory...example: when Pearl Harbor was bombed many men enlisted (i.e., approach)...when it came time to ship off, and especially, when it was time to go on shore for battle and possibly death some opted out (i.e., avoidance). So, "the war within" is that as you run up the hill the faster and harder you push the quicker you get done, but it hurts more...in the moment when it hurts...will you approach or avoid?! Charge on good friends!

June Nineteenth Two Thousand and Ten

Just completed a workout for the weekend.
I am excited to say that I am the proud owner of rogue fitness rings.
So I performed a high level of ring exercises today.
See below:

3 Sets of the following:

Dips with Rings x 4
Body Weight Rows with Rings x 10
L-Chin-ups x 4
Ring Roll Outs x 8
Chest Flys with Rings x 4
30 seconds of Jump Rope

June Eighteenth, Two thousand and ten

Robin's workout of the day:

3-5 sets of:

Hack squat x 16kg KB

Archer Ring push-ups

Ring BW rows

Then:

Hanging leg raises/twisters

Multi-level circuits (burpee/KB/pull-up combos); be creative!

WATCH US IN WORLD CUP!